Parallel Glass: Guardians
by ShadowDragon94
Summary: Shadows began lurking around every corner, danger was growing, and darkness was coming, and amidst all this stood a single teenager frozen in time forever. The real question did not lie in what he was, but who he could become and what it would do in a war that would ultimately stretch farther than any Guardian or Elemental spirit could ever fathom. What do you believe?
1. Chapter 1: Three Centuries

_Hello,_

 _I had a request from a close friend –the same who gave me the idea for the Seraph of the End fanfictions –and I have decided to write the request. He wanted to see a focus on the slight trauma that Jack would have endured, some of his darker moments, and eventually bring in a new villain and new allies as well. And naturally I figured why not? It sounds fun and many of the stories that do this aren't finished or remarkably well written. So, I hope you all enjoy this story, and let me know how it goes._

 _Note:_

 _This story is not going to be so light hearted it hurts your teeth or so dark it makes you look over your shoulder – I prefer a balance in this – so I will be using the moments when Jack is decidedly not as calm or as happy as he normally is with a some additional add ons and a tweaks. This is a story re-write like my best ones are, but the events that happened to our favorite winter spirit is going to come out during the storyline. Read & review, and I hope you all enjoy it._

 _Here's the first chapter in the beginning of my Rise of the Guardians story._

Chapter 1: Three Centuries

The air was icy as it swept across the snow blanketed ground of a small settlement within the forest. Pits dug in the ground to keep the wind from snuffing out the only true source of warmth in the area. Roughly a mile or so out of the village was a thickly frozen lake that four days ago took the life of a youth from the same village. That, was the story that they believed at the very least. With a faint shudder the ice cracked as if it had been hit by a brutal force – and then, ever so slowly it opened up as if someone had pushed against it from within the water – the ice shifted and from the depths came a figure, and that figure was a person who was gently sat down upon the surface as the ice sealed shut. They caught their breath and took a moment to get their bearings. Though slightly unsure the person moved and looked themselves over as if they had never attempted to see what they appeared as to others.

If one were to look at this figure they would have seen a young boy, roughly the age of sixteen - clothed in dark brown pants that were tied with leather cords to his caves, his remaining attire consisting of a faded white shirt that had long sleeves, a brown vest with wooden buttons, and a brown slightly aged cloak. He rotated his shoulders as if wondering what was happening to him as he looked at the scenery around him and blinked owlishly at the faint reflection of the moon on the surface of ice. He sighed as he looked down and noted a crooked, gnarled staff on the surface and picked it up in curiosity before crouching in hopes of figuring out why the touch of the wood on his palms felt so familiar.

The staff nearly fell out of his hands and tapped the surface of the lake only to create a beautiful, and intricate fern pattern upon it in glowing frost. He blinked before smiling widely as he looked at the object and slowly eased his way towards a set of trees where he tapped the curve of the staff onto the tree and the same event happened and a gleam of wonder lit up his eyes as he began running along the surface of the ice – light as air and almost _flying_ as he laughed and began to spin around as he flew by the trees and bright, silvery, fern shapes appeared upon the ice once more as he jumped and the wind bundled him up into its embrace and tossed him lovingly into the air as he stared at the moonlight winter night in awe and moved a bit to the left only to collapse upon the top of a tree and go stumbling down into the branches – thankfully he caught himself upon the larger of the branches after nearly having the air knocked from him- and again he smiled as he crouched atop the branch and looked at the area not far off where a flicker of fire and the sound of music and voices sailed into the air for him to catch in snippets.

With a small smile he flew into the air and stumbled a bit as he reached the village with a laugh as he began looking around and wondering, where he had come to as he searched. Children and dogs ran by in laughter as people gathered around fires or hot pots full of stews and warm cider. He wandered around momentarily as he took in the sights, sounds, and scents of the small village. With a glance he took note of a small dark haired boy running up to him and he smiled.

"Excuse me? Can you tell me where I am? I…." he attempted to make conversation with the child and then one of the most terrifying experiences of his new life happened.

The child, the innocent, little boy, _walked through him._ He shot up from the crouch he was in with a pained gasp as he looked around him in panic as he felt his heart thrum wildly in his chest as a man walked through him next and he felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold spill through his system as he began wandering backwards in a fearful attempt to escape. He felt his body shake, his heart race, and his blood pound in his ears as he realized that none of these people could see him, nor could they _hear him._ To these people, he was non-existent, and he was without question _dead to the world._

Fear flooded him as he raced away from the village center and finally made it to the edge of town where he stood in shock of what had just happened. Why could none of them see him? Was he a ghost? Did he even truthfully exist? Or was he nothing more than a figment of the imagination. He felt a rattling breath escape him as he stepped backwards and eyed the village again as he started walking away in confusion and pain.

" _Child…"_ he froze.

"Hello?" a rustle of wind wrapped gently around him and he blinked as he felt soothing hands grasp his shoulders.

" _You child, are not entirely alone…"_ he searched the area in questioning and found himself confused.

"Where are you?"

" _Within the Moon – I am the Man in the Moon child…."_ His body tensed in unease.

"What….happened to me? Who am I?" the voice said nothing and he felt fear of confirmation that he was nothing more than a non-existent wisp of imagination.

" _You are….Jack Frost…the Spirit of Winter – the one who shall be the herald of the season….and so much more….my child."_

"Your child? What do you mean?" he glanced up at the moon.

" _Yes, Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter, the child of the Moon, and Frost….fear not….you will see soon….what the purpose is for your existence….you are meant to be so much more…calm yourself."_

"Why can no one see me? Why am I here?" nothing came to him that time. And he knew then that the conversation was done. He stared down at the icy ground and felt the confusion remain as he looked at the path that had been tread into the ground over the years of villagers searching the forest for food and wood. He turned to walk and looked around him. He hoped soon that there would be answers for him, but, unbeknownst to him was that his answer that he would seek – would not come for many years - and he would have to endure those centuries alone.

" _ **My name is Jack Frost….how do I know that? The Moon told me so….but….that was all he ever told me and….that….that was a long, long time ago…."**_

 **{300 years later: The North Pole, March 31** **st** **2012}**

Nicholas St. North, former bandit, assistant to children, native to Russia, and the Guardian of Wonder officially as of nine hundred years ago was having a rather odd day. Originally, North would have been known by another name to the children and many others in the world – Santa Claus – but he wasn't the cheery, rosy cheeked, plump man that many viewed him as. Yes indeed, he was quite jolly, sweet, caring, and loving, but he also was fearless, and by no means weak. His arms were tattooed with traditional Russian styled patterns that outlined the words _Naughty_ on his left forearm and _Nice_ on his right. He hummed as he looked at the globe where he had gotten a rather fascinating show on his Globe of Belief – via a black sand shadow – and now was considering what his next plan of action would be. Without question, North would have to call the others, and he could already see a certain one of their group fussing about being called so close to his Holiday. However, he knew this was important – he felt it in his belly, and he'd always followed his instincts – and thus, he grabbed a leaver and pulled before twisting it and pushing it down. Northern lights flew up from the globe and filled the sky as he looked towards the elves and yetis that were awaiting orders.

"We will be having company – make sure to set everything up!" they saluted and ran off to get things ready for their guests. As North turned his attention back to the Globe he sighed knowing he was asking for a long conversation with the question of what would happen once the others arrived.

It was not a question of issues – what would happen if North were wrong, he would willingly accept – but the fact that North knew greater things were coming. If the shadow was anything to go by, they were in for a long battle and an unknown end. He sighed as he knew that the Tooth Fairy or Toothania would be arriving first, followed by the Sandman – Sandy as he preferred to be called – and finally the Easter Bunny, or, E. Aster Bunnymund. He rubbed his temples as he tried to reason why their former enemy would resurface now, but he felt himself unsure of how to answer those questions despite his gut telling him that his sense of foreboding would be best. If any of them momentarily doubted one another then they would collapse under the pressure of an oncoming war. Moments after he thought this he heard a flutter of wings and sighed knowing that their impromptu meeting was about to begin.

Toothania, was a beautiful woman with vibrant colored feathers that ranged from the richest blues, the most vibrant emeralds and rose pinks, to the most sultry golds, silvers, and dark violets. She had translucent wings that reminded many greatly of a hummingbird – her gentle features and gracefulness was something from the most fanciful of dreams and the most enchanting of stories. Tooth, as she was called by her comrades and friends, loved her work as the Guardian of memories and the collector of teeth. She was currently fluttering about to speak with the seven miniature fairies that were with her as she directed orders to them as she glanced at him with her vibrant, and beautiful electric violet eyes that reminded him of morning glories. She turned to him to speak and ask why she had been alerted to come to the North Pole while she was clearly very busy. He nodded and understood her confusion seeing as they were at the very least two weeks or more shy of their thrice a year meeting.

It was as he went to inform her to take a seat and enjoy the peace while it lasted that a golden biplane flew around the globe and a small man of the same color came to stand before him, and beside Tooth. Small, and slightly plump, the little golden man with his spiky hair and warm smile was Sanderson Mansnoozie or, preferably, Sandy – and he currently was wearing the same expression as Tooth in confusion over the sudden call for them to meet.

"I know Sandy, but please, listen – I call you and others for purpose – trust, I not do it for sake of being lonely….it is serious…"

If North, Santa Claus, the Guardian of Wonder said it was serious then that meant without question that this was indeed _not a good thing_ and it bothered Sandy to a point. He wanted to ask more, but found himself worried that now was not the time to speak seeing as he knew that a certain seven-foot rabbit hadn't come yet meant that this meeting was very impromptu and would have to wait so that North wouldn't have to repeat his concerns. Sandy nodded and watched quietly as he tried to figure out why he was so uncomfortable. Normally when he came to the North Pole he felt happy, and peaceful but this was anything but. He had a sense of foreboding, of discomfort and dislike of the saturnine atmosphere of the place. He frowned as he took a cup of eggnog from an elf and looked around him for an answer that he didn't find. He sighed silently and attempted to appease his unpleased sense but still failed even as a shout came into the building.

"I CAN'T FEEL MY FEET! I CAN'T FEEL MY FEET!"

"Bunny! What took so long? We waited forever," said North as the seven-foot tall gray, black, and white rabbit darted towards the fireplace.

"I been freezing my feet off ya gumby!" North nodded as he looked at the Pooka as he tried to reason what to do.

With his leather armbands and leg wraps, his straps that held boomerangs and other items to his back and sides and his tribal black tattoo markings – E. Aster Bunnymund was somewhat crossed between being epically cool, and drastically cute. His eyes were a forest green and his accent thick and distinctly Australian. His ears were laid back right then, but if they stood they would make him at least six inches taller. North looked him over and again sighed as he tried to reason why these things were happening today when he just wanted some peace and quiet before it became too hectic for him as he started to prepare for Christmas. His dark sky blue eyes looked them over and Sandy waved a giant flag of dreamsand over them and got the other twos attention.

"What did you call us here for North? Is something wrong?" asked Tooth as she fluttered to him.

"I had issue this morning – Pitch was here! At the Pole!" the group stared.

"Wait…Pitch? Pitch Black? What was he doing here?" Tooth looked confused by his statement as did Bunny and Sandy.

"There was black sand covering the globe!" Bunny who had previous been warming his frozen feet by the fire looked at North as if he'd lost his mind.

"What do you mean black sand?" he questioned as North glanced his way and continued on with his story whilst moving his hands about.

"And then! A shadow…." Bunny took out a paint brush and egg before frowning.

"Whoa! Wait! I thought you said you saw Pitch?" he frowned and North scratched the back of his head.

"Well uh….not exactly…" the man looked decidedly embarrassed to admit his flaw in the details.

"Not exactly? Can you believe this guy?" asked Bunny as he looked to Sandy who put a question mark above his head.

" **?"** Bunny nodded.

"Yea, you said it Sandy..." Bunny rolled his eyes as Sandy gave him a look that stated he wasn't quite sure what to think of the situation as Tooth continued to rattle off more locations to her fairies.

"Look, he's up to something very bad! I feel it!" three mini-fairies came to him to listen. They twittered and squeaked as the other Guardians looked at North to see what he would say next.

"In my belly!" the three of them stared dumbfounded whilst the three fairies dove to look at North's belly.

"Hang on, hang on! You mean to say you summoned me here? The week before Holy Week? Because of your belly?! Mate if I did this to you the week before Christmas…." North cut the rabbit off.

"But Bunny! Easter is not Christmas~" North took the egg from Bunny who rolled his eyes.

"Hehehe….here we go….North! I don't have time for this! I still have three billion eggs to paint!" Bunny went after North while Sandy watched the two continue their normal Easter verses Christmas conversation.

As he floated by a small station that the elves used to get higher up with a cup of eggnog Sandy heard a lapping noise and glanced at one of the elves who was slurping down his favorite drink and moved the cup out of the way and watched the little creature hit the ground with a jingle. Sandy would admit – the little beasts were fairly durable – however, as he looked at his now half drained cup he saw a glimmer of pale blue moonlight shine in through the top and over the Globe of Belief. His attention drawn to the presence of the Man in the Moon Sandy began hopping and pointing at the window to get the others attention as he dropped his goblet and looked at North and Bunny.

"No matter how much you paint is still egg!" stated North as Bunny pulled the Alice blue egg from North's grip.

"Look mate! I'm dealing with perishables! And you've got all year to prepare!"

Sandy kept hopping around and waving his arms to get their attention but knew it was a near useless attempt as he looked at the two of them. He put his fingers in his mouth and blew only to have a music note appear above his head as he attempted to still get their attention. If Manny appeared like this he knew it was important – his mind began to wonder what was so serious that Manny himself decided to appear - but chose not to ponder as he was now struggling to get the attention of his fellow Guardians.

"Why are rabbits always so nervous?" North walked around Bunny who went to painting his egg.

"And why are you such a blowhard?" Bunny pointed his paint brush towards North who rubbed his temples while Tooth continued to rattle off places while Sandy waves a dreamsand flag.

"Tooth? Can't you see we are trying to argue?" North inquires while she flutters near them.

"Sorry! Not all of us get to work one night a year! Am I right Sandy?" she puffs out her feathers a bit while glancing at Sandy who sighs and pointed an arrow at the Moon behind Tooth. She gasped and began to speak about more locations to her fairies.

"Santiago sector 2 and…." Sandy silently groaned as he looked at the others and Bunny moved a bit as he kept talking to North.

"Come on, Pitch went out with the Dark Ages – we made sure of it..."

Sandy slumped a bit where he stood and began looking around for something to make noise with. If he could he would make them listen to what he was trying to say – they were all so busy it was a wonder that Manny had even bothered and not sent someone to speak to them – but as he suspected, this was serious and he needed to relay the fact that their boss was present and watching them go about their typical antics as if he was invisible. Sandy frowned as he continued looking and heard North and Bunny continue to argue about Pitch Black while Tooth kept up with her fairies.

"I know it was him! We have serious situation!" Bunny sighed at North as Sandy glanced to the right and saw an elf licking the remaining eggnog from his dropped goblet.

" _Bingo!"_ he thought as he looked at the silver bell atop its head.

With a deadpan expression Sandy flew over to the little elf who paused and looked at him in questioning before he settled next to it. The elf went back to its drink and Sandy watched before scowling as he realized that the other three were not going to listen to his not so subtle hints that he had tried to tell them – now he decided a different method would be best – and in having chosen that he picked up the unsuspecting elf by the stack of its hat and held it out. The little creature dropped its metal goblet and he kept a frown on his face as he started to shake it violently.

"And I've got a serious situation with some eggs!"

"Try to concentrate on…"

The loud ringing got their attention and they fell silent as Sandy held the elf up and kept his frown as he continued his violent shaking of the creature until he was certain that they were paying attention. Sandy dropped the now dizzied elf who fell down and slowly lolled to the side and remained there in hopes of stopping the sudden shaking it felt from being jarred so much. Sandy kept his expression deadpan as he pointed at the skylight and North looked to it.

"Ah! Man in Moon! Sandy? Why didn't you say something?" North asked as he threw his arms up in excitement. Sandy frowned and blew dreamsand steam out of his ears.

" _I was trying to! But none of you would listen to me!"_ Sandy thought as the others turned their attention to the Moon.

"It's been a long time, old friend! What is big news?" the group watched as a pale beam of moonlight streamed down atop the ornate _**G**_ on the floor and slowly but surely the image shadowed and morphed into a familiar silhouette.

"It is Pitch!" Bunny gaped as North patted his belly in an _I told you so_ manner as they turned their attention back to the Moon.

"Manny, what must we do?" the group stared as the moonbeam went back to the spot of the ornate stone letter and slowly a compartment opened to reveal a rough cut quartz crystal that gleamed blue. The others stared in shock as it finished rising and Tooth fluttered closer.

"Uh, guys, you know what this means?" Tooth looked to North who nodded.

"He is choosing a new Guardian!" North answered as Bunny blinked in a stunned silence that was short lived.

"What?! Why?!" he looked at the others who seemed unsure.

"Must be big deal. Manny thinks we need help." To that Bunny looked at the jolly man next to him in bewilderment.

"Since when do we need help?!" Bunny seemed surprisingly confused to the others who now were becoming excited in seeing who their newest member would be.

"I wonder who it's gonna be?" Tooth looked to Sandy in joy as he conjured a four-leaf clover above his head.

"Maybe the Leprechaun?" to that Bunny turned his attention to the crystal and crossed his paws.

"Please not the Ground Hog, _please_ not the groundhog..."

Sandy rolled his eyes as his attention returned to the crystal as a light formed the shape of their newest teammate. Tooth stared onwards in curiosity as did North and Bunny as slowly it took the form of a young man in a hood carrying a crooked staff. He was barefoot and slight in build – it took all of two seconds for the group to realize who this was – and Sandy only stared happily, Tooth gaped, North looked surprised, and Bunny as if he had been slapped with one of his own paint brushes. The Guardian of Wonder looked fascinated as he stared on at the image and cleared his throat with a quirk of his eyebrows.

"Jack Frost!" the mini-fairies near Tooth swooned adoringly as she stared dreamily at the image and slightly cast a glance at the fairies in curiosity. She had heard a few stories about the Spirit of Winter whilst her fairies had been collecting teeth over the last three hundred years.

"Uh... I take it back, the groundhog's fine." To that Sandy cast the Guardian of Hope an imploring look knowing why exactly he didn't care for the youthful Spirit. He rolled his gold eyes and looked at the other guardians.

"Well, as long as he helps to, uh, to protect the children, right?" asked Tooth as she looked at the others in concern. She had never meet Jack Frost before, but she assumed there was a good reason for Bunny's obvious dislike of the boy.

" _Jack Frost_?! He doesn't care about children! All he does is freeze water pipes and mess with my egg hunts. Right? He's an irresponsible, selfish—"Bunny's rant was cut off by North's hum of slight curiosity and approval.

"Guardian…" Bunny shook his head and the others stared at him.

"Jack Frost is _many things_ , but he is not a Guardian! I mean come on mate! This brat is nothing but a danger too…" North gave him a long look.

"Bunny! Have you met him before?" he asked. To that the rabbit frowned.

"I have, did you not hear me when I told you about the blizzard of sixty-eight? That little blighter is the _cause_ of that disaster!" Tooth gave the other a long look.

"That was over a hundred years ago! Bunny…don't you think you could give him a chance?" to that the Guardian of Hope frowned again.

"Like I said – Jack Frost is many things but he is _not a Guardian_!" North sighed as he heard this.

"My fellow Guardians, it is our job to watch over the children of the world, and keep them safe. To bring wonder, hope, and dreams, and so I have called us all here for one reason and one reason only. The children are in danger. An enemy we have kept at bay for centuries has finally decided to strike back. We alone can stop him….and if Manny says we need Jack Frost, then by Moon we need _Jack Frost_ ," he stated sternly. To that the others gave each of them a long look as North cleared his throat.

"North? Please don't tell me you're…." The bearded Russian man smiled brightly.

"Dingle! Tell Yetis to prepare transportation – Bunny! Since you're so well acquainted with the boy we send you to get him with Yetis!" to that the Easter Bunny gaped.

"What? No! I'm not going to talk to that hellion! I want nothing to do with any of those winter mishaps he makes or his attitude! He's a complete mischief maker not to mention he's nothing but pure chaos!" North patted Bunny on the shoulder.

"All the more reason for you to be present when we bring him over – you can convince the boy!" to that Bunny frowned.

"I'm not being given a choice am ah?" to that North gave him a wide smile.

"We send you with Yetis to where boy is….Phil! Find boy no?" to that the Yeti nodded and pointed at an ice blue dot on the Globe of Belief. At the appearance of the dot Tooth frowned and glanced at Bunny.

"Hey Bunny? How old is Jack Frost?" the seven-foot Aussie hare looked at her.

"I don' know…I'd say in his early twenties why?" Tooth pointed at the blue dot.

"Why is he on the Globe then?" Bunny shrugged.

"Uh, Sheila, North just searched for him," he said. North glanced at Bunny.

"All same, I can't wait to meet our newest Guardian! Bunny! Hop to it!" the gray hare laughed.

"Haha very funny North!" with that Bunny and the Yeti prepared to leave and soon were going through a portal to Burgess, Pennsylvania, United States.

 **{8:45pm – St. Petersburg, Russia}**

Despite spring coming closer, Russia and its typical cold nature made havoc an easy attempt as a fern pattern of frost spiraled down a post with a few notifications posted while it continued to wash over the sidewalks and street. Several people slipped along the way and a ghostly chuckle was heard as it spread further and froze the water from a fountain that a boy was about to drink out of and resulted in him having his tongue stuck to it. Another faint whisper like laugh was heard as the wind whistled through the area carrying the frost along it and up a building where a fish bowl had the top layer of the water frosted over.

"Sweet Susan!" exclaimed a Russian boy as he saw the water ice over.

Another laugh was carried through the air as the wind brushed into a window and blew papers around the office of a writer who clutched pieces of his manuscript in desperation to keep it from flying out the window. More laughter came and the wind blew upwards to where a figure was crouched against a lightning rod and smiling down at the scene before him as he took into account his work for the evening. Three hundred years later, the Spirit of Winter, Jack Frost, was still up to his typical antics of being quite the troublemaker – hellion, mischief maker, embodiment of chaos, what have you – he'd heard plenty of them over the centuries as it was customary with his season. He laughed again as he felt the wind rush by him and caress his cheek and ruffle his hair as he smiled and looked around.

"Now that! That was fun! Hey wind! Take me home!" the wind howled in sheer delight as it swept through the area he was in and tossed him up into the air.

With a laugh of excitement Jack Frost flew through the air and looked around him as he saw the sky being to lighten into early-mid-day as he descended soon after upon Burgess, Pennsylvania and granted the town a day of snow and fun. He laughed as he cut a flip mid-air and used his staff to ride out the gust of wind whilst descending to the ground – this was one of his all-time favorite things about his life – flying brought him a leap of excitement and joy that near nothing else could as he neared the ground and prepared to carry himself on to the next half of the town. He hit the ice of his pond and slid across it was ease and practiced grace before flying up and landing near a boy who he had knocked a book from his hands. The brown haired, brown eyed boy smiled a bit as he picked it up and dusted it off and he crouched to read the cover. He always checked what the humans were reading – it was a wonderful way to pass the time and he enjoyed reading the stories most of the time – and this, seemed to be a rather curious book.

"Looks interesting? Good book?" the boy kept walking and he stood straight to watch as two other boys came up behind him and began discussing the snow day happily.

"YEA! SNOW DAY!" one of the boys thumped Jamie on the back as he smiled and the other moved to the side and patted the brunette boy on the shoulder.

"Your welcome!" Jack smiled a bit at the statement.

"You coming to the Easter Egg hunt on Sunday?" asked the brunette.

"Of course! Hello! Free candy!" said the boy in the yellow jersey.

"I hope we can find it with all this snow!" the one in the purple stated this in excitement as Jack flew over to the fence and treaded across it with a perfected balance in hopes of entertaining himself whilst he listened in on the conversation that was being discussed. The boys came through a loose plank in the fence and into the yard while the one holding the book held it out in exclamation of what he'd read.

"It says here they found Big Foot DNA in Michigan! That's like super close!" his excitement was drowned out by the two boys.

"Oh boy here we go!" the boy in the yellow rolled his eyes.

"You'll believe anything! From Big Foot or Santa Claus…" the one in purple gave his friend a look.

"And even the Easter Bunny!" at that the brunette rolled his eyes as well and gave them a knowing look.

"The Easter Bunny is real!" to that Jack laughed a little and continued walking along the top of the fence.

"Oh, he's real all right. Real annoying, real grumpy, and _really_ full of himself!" he said as he settled on the edge of the fence and watched the children interact.

"Easter Bunny! Hop! Hop! Hop!" the little blonde haired, green eyed girl in fairy wings said as she jumped down the steps of the front porch with each hop only to be knocked over by the family Grey Hound. Jack glanced at the crying little girl with a faint frown before he looked at the boy who turned to his mother as he grabbed his sled.

"Mom! Sophie fell again!" he turned away as his mother checked on her daughter and Jack smiled as he watched what the children were up to.

"Jamie! Hat! You don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose," she said as she plopped a blue and white hat on his head. Jamie gave her a long look.

"Whose Jack Frost?" the Spirit of Winter watched as the mother smiled.

"No one honey, it's just an expression," she stated. To that Jack frowned.

"Hey! I'm right here you know!"

The children ran into the other side of the yard and he slid down from the fence and crouched as he picked up a handful of snow. Honestly, he was becoming rather annoyed by that statement – how humans had come up with that one saying he wouldn't ever truthfully know – but he did have his own ways of showing people that he was more than just an _expression_ and he would sooner freeze the entire world than let people just think he was something from a person's imagination. As he picked up the snowball he blew lightly on it and turned it blue as he looked at the group of playing kids as a mischievous smirk graced his features.

"Who's Jack Frost?"

Jamie and the two boys were playing while a girl and a boy with red glasses were building a snow fort and not far from them a girl in pink and black was building a snowman. Jack smirked as he jumped a bit and tossed the snowball and watched as it landed directly against the back of Jamie's head. The boy turned and rubbed the area where the snow hit him only to have a blue gleam gather about his eyes as he blinked and began to laugh and smile as Jack's magic took over. The boy looked around in questioning and he smiled.

"Okay who threw that?" he looked onward as Jack came and landed almost in front of him with a smile.

"Well, it wasn't Big Foot kiddo," he said.

In a matter of moments snowballs were flying and Jack was running around amongst the children giving them ammo for their fight. The group of kids were screaming and laughing as they struck one another and began fighting amongst the snow – building forts and tossing the packed snow at one another – it all was going surprisingly well until one of the snow balls flew a little too close to the lone child who hadn't joined in. Jack frowned and amidst the battle he moved upwards and balanced on the crook of his staff and smirked as he formed a snowball with a good dosage of his magic in it and smacked the girl in the back of the head just as the girl in the green sweater threw one that would have originally hit her. The group froze and Jack smirked as the children began to panic. Naturally Jack theorized that the girl was uncomfortable amongst her peers and stayed alone often – hence why she attempted to look tougher than she honestly was – and soon the girl turned and glared at them with a growl and in the next second another snowball came flying and smacked her in the face. The children gasped and stared while Jack remained perched atop his staff with a smile on his face.

"Who threw that?" Jack laughed as the blue gleam came up and the girl began laughing and soon was chasing the others with the head of her snowman and they were all laughing together.

"Look out now! It's slippery!"

Jack created a patch of ice and soon enough Jamie was flying down the slope and into oncoming traffic. The Spirit of Winter dove after him and caught up quickly before creating a steady line of ice for the boy to glide through the street and sidewalk on. Jamie screamed in both terror and excitement as Jack flew with him calmly guiding him through the street as the group yelled after him and the boy's shouts of surprise turned into yells of pure joy as he flew up into the air and Jack landed near the statue of Thaddeus Burgess and his family as the boy slowly but surely descended and hit the soft powder hard. Jack jumped up on the statue cheering as Jamie got up and began excitedly talking about his thrill ride to his friends – his excitement was cut short by a red sofa flying into him and knocking him over. Jack winced as he did his best to not feel a little panic about that. This most certainly wouldn't have been the first time he had ended up accidentally causing some harm – but as he often reminded others when they did speak to him – Winter was a season of gives and takes, and it by no means offered any less injuries than any other Seasons did. Not that the Spirit of Autumn agreed to that at all, she was insistent that it was perfectly reasonable that winter caused death, but that often her season didn't. Jack rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to the boy and winced again.

"Woops…" he watched the boy as he got up and held a hand into the air and exclaimed precisely what had happened.

"My tooth came out!" the other children gathered.

"Dude, that means cash! Tooth Fairy cash! I love the Tooth Fairy!" Jack felt a twinge of discomfort in his chest.

" _Oh, no..."_

"How much do you think the Tooth Fairy will give you?" asked the girl in the green sweater.

"That's totally awesome. You lucky bug! Lucky!" the group began discussing the Tooth Fairy and Jack groaned in frustration.

"No! No!" Jack jumped down as the children kept walking.

"I gotta put this under my pillow!" Jamie said as he pocketed the tooth in his jeans and they began walking back towards his house. Jack wanted to scream at this point – he couldn't believe it.

"I wish I lost my tooth." The red glasses kid stated this as he nudged a lose one and one of the twins spoke up.

"I lost two teeth in one day once - remember that?!"

"What are you gonna spend your money on?"

"What are you gonna buy? How much do you think she's going to leave?" all the questions and statements were starting to frustrate the winter spirit to the point that he felt what he was certain was a headache coming on.

"Ah, wait a minute! Come on, hold on, hold on! What about all that fun we just had? That wasn't the Tooth Fairy that was me!" Jack spoke as he jumped closer to the kids trying to speak with them.

"Let's go...I'm cooold!"

"My ears are freezing. I can't feel my toes!"

"Ah, it's hot cocoa time! We can all go over to my place!" Jamie said as the kids cheered. Jack groaned as he blocked the boy's path.

"What's a guy gotta do to get a little attention around here?!" Jack tried to engage the children again and then one of the things he absolutely despised about being what he was happened.

Jamie stepped forward unseeing and walked _straight through him._ Pain ripped through his system as it hadn't done in over ten years. He had once stopped trying to speak with others around him – human or otherwise – and had avoided the horrible sensation of being walked through for a decade. Now he had subjected himself to that pain all over again. He felt a spike of energy as his powers caused flurries to fall over head and many people began to question why it was snowing now with Easter so close. It was always Easter or Christmas, or the Tooth Fairy – never in three hundred years had he, Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter – been anything more than _an expression._ He hated being just that to people because he knew that while he was an elemental spirit he didn't deserve to be considered nothing more than a saying or a statement that people made when it got cold enough. He wanted someone to see him, so he had someone to speak too, and though there were plenty of other immortals around in the world none of them bothered to speak to an Elemental Spirit. They were either looked on at with envy, disgust, or in his case _fear._

Sighing he looked back at the children once more and took off wanting to avoid being walked through like he just had another five times as he mulled over his internal questions. His already burgeoning temper washed out as the children left and he groaned as he took to standing atop roofs to spread the snow fall so to avoid being stepped through. He remembered the first time that happened – how much it had hurt – and how greatly it had affected him. That was the first and last time that the Man in the Moon ever spoke to him. And it was also the first century where he was still learning new things about himself and the world, but that changed when another century came and he completely blanked in his memories. He remembered most things from that time but between the first century and the most recent one his memory was blotchy and disconnected for some reason. He laid back against the roof and sighed in discontent.

"Three hundred years huh? What do you expect me to do? Just stay invisible for the rest of eternity? Damn old man." Jack sat up as he glared at the face that appeared in the ghostly outline of the moon before pulling his knees up to his chest prior to resting his head upon them.

He hated this part of his life – the silence, being alone, being unseen, unheard, untouched, and hated for something he couldn't help. Why did so many of the spirits look so terrified of him sometimes? Did he do something he couldn't remember? Did he cause that because he was just the Spirit of Winter? The herald of the cold months where near nothing grew? Yes, Jack knew that winter was a time where most of the world became still but he couldn't help that he wasn't chosen as something else – or someone else. If all these spirits hated him so much then why did the Man in the Moon see it fit to let him be alive? Did Mother Nature need him _that badly?_ He sighed as he pulled his hood up and felt a tension form in his body again. Here he was, three hundred years later, trapped, unmoving, and unaging, forever. And what did he have to show for those three centuries? Not much he thought.

" _You must really hate me…and find it completely amusing to punish me for something I never did or can't recall doing…what do you want from me? I'm just one….thing….I can't change the world."_

The sun began to set and soon Jack found himself gliding over roof tops in the cold darkness of the night. He was much more comfortable in the darker hours – mostly because his first memory was nothing but darkness – but he also liked to watch the families in the evening when they would put the children to bed and tell them stories. They were always fascinating and ranged from biblical tales to the most fantastical things that sprung from the deepest depths of imagination. Jack personally always enjoyed fantasy stories to factual ones. He could lose himself for hours upon hours in a book and look at the story that the author allowed the readers to travel through – it was an escape into another world and it was nothing short of amazing. Tonight he had ended up finding Jamie's house and was listening to the boy retell the story of his adventure in sledding that afternoon. His little sister Sophie was happily listening as he reenacted it with a toy robot that also doubled as a nightlight. His mother smiled as she finished putting away a few spare toys and soon was telling them to head to bed.

"Alright you, tooth under your pillow?" his mother asked this and Jack watched the boy look at her with bright eyes as he pulled his pillow back with a wide smile.

"Yeah. I'm ready!" he pulled out a flashlight and a camera. Jack rolled his eyes at the boy's enthusiasm – the Tooth Fairy wouldn't come if he was awake.

"Now don't stay up trying to see her, Jamie, or she won't come." The boy groaned.

"But I can do it this time! You wanna help me, Soph? We can hide and see the Tooth Fairy!" Jamie exclaimed as his little sister giggled and clapped her hands as she hopped.

"Hide! Hide! Hide!" the little girl sounded almost crazed with her excitement and Jamie's mother shook her head.

"Uh uh, straight to bed now, mister." His mother scolded him as she picked up his sister and began heading out.

"Mom…"

Jack frowned as he looked at the scene before him and frost covered the window panes. He honestly didn't know why he watched these scenes all the time – maybe some part of him was longing for an answer to his questions – and then another part of him whispered that maybe he wondered why he didn't have a family and if he ever had. What was he supposed to think of all this anyways? He was just some lonely spirit, he wasn't even _human._ He was the incarnation of winter, of chaos and mischief and rarely did he find someone that liked him enough to talk to him. That one acception had been a little golden man who spoke through symbols – and he was rarely able to speak for long periods of time – but Jack enjoyed his company when he had it. He sighed as he skipped up atop the roof and leaned a bit against the crooked staff he had with him from day one and they glanced at the moon. Naturally during his agitation his eyes went from the typical Alice blue to timber wolf silver – he rarely paid attention to that change now a days – and when he did it was because someone panicked about it. He sighed as he heard the area around him go silent and groaned again as he realized the area around him had fallen still once again. His eyes glanced up at the moon from under his hood and he set a pained glare at it.

"If there's something I'm doing wrong, can you, can you just…..tell me what it is?" he knew, without question, that this would be a one sided conversation. It was something he had tried millions of times and never once had he received so much as a sign that he had ever been heard.

"Because I've tried everything, and…..no one…ever sees me…" this time his now silver eyes narrowed in anger as he snarled at the moon.

"You put me here! The least you can do is tell me! Tell me why?! Why am I never seen? Why do those who can see me seem to fear and hate me? What did I do wrong? WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER FOR ONCE?!" he gritted his teeth and turned away as his eyes burned. He hated this, no answers, no explanations, and he had waited – patiently so – for three hundred years and nothing, absolutely _nothing_ was ever given in return. He honestly didn't care if it was something great and grand or small and feeble – he just wanted an answer – but that apparently was far too great of a task for the Man in the Moon to speak to his _supposed child._

Jack leaped quietly threw the air and landed on a telephone poll with all the ease and grace of a cat while frost crawled along it whilst he walked and slid the ice up the other wire with his staff. He sighed as he focused on his work and details as a silent tinkling of bells caught his attention. Silver eyes looked up at the beautiful sun kissed glow of gold streams that were flowing through the air in tendrils and gentle curves that seemed as if stardust was painting reenactments of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night amongst a silken black backdrop accented with diamonds. He pulled his hood off as his mood was lifted and his eyes returned to their normal Alice blue as he smiled.

"Right on time Sandman…" The Dreamsand descended from the sky, and drifted into windows around the town to bring dreams of joy and peace to the children while the spirit of winter smiled and watched in the same joy and fascination of a child. Jack ran along the telephone wire until he could reach out and intercepted one of the passing streams and it instantly transformed into a dolphin as it swam around him and brought a sense of calm to his inner turmoil while he watched it continuing on its way towards a child. For now, he supposed things would just continue as they were, but even he knew when things were about to change and he had a feeling that something was coming.

 **{….}**

 _I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard. Or a moment that's held in your arms…_

 **{…}**

Author's Note: Well, here's chapter one of my Rise of the Guardians story. I know a lot of people rewrite the story but I'm focusing on a few details. Like for instances did you notice that Jack's eyes do a _ctually_ change color in the film from Alice blue which is his typical eye color, to Ice Blue, and then to Timber Wolf Silver – they also go very dark blue a Cerulean Blue if he's stressed. If you watch the scene where North speaks to Jack about his center when Jack states that "he doesn't know" what his center is his eyes change color in the middle of him looking down. They go from a silver tone to Alice blue. Look at that scene closely for it because if you aren't paying attention you will miss it.

But I wanted to focus a bit more on his personality and some of his darker and harsher traits from time to time. I think it could help show some people that this isn't just some kid's movie – there are some very mature elements in this film believe it or not – and I wanted to play on the psychological points as well.

Here's my Disclaimer:

 **I, ShadowDragon94, do not in any way, shape, or form – have any legal claims on the Film: Rise of the Guardians, The Novels: The Guardians of Childhood, the Characters: Jack Frost, Toothania, Nicholas St. North, E. Aster Bunnymund, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Pitch Black, Santoff Claussen, Ombric, or any other characters or settings that may appear in this story and others of the same storyline. All rights go to William Joyce and DreamWorks.**

 **I, ShadowDragon94, own any original characters that may or may not appear in the story(s).**

That's my claimer/Disclaimer. I do not know if I will have any OC's in this story unless I intend to bring in the Spirits of Spring, summer, and autumn. I'm still debating that for specific reasons.

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed chapter 1 and I look forward to your comments.

Here's your Preview:

" _Its coming don't you feel it?"_

Fear that was something he had felt before but why was it creeping up on people left and right? What was happening? In the midst of the night Jack Frost was about to get an answer that he never expected to find and never thought he would receive because of four people who to his knowledge disliked him as much as most of the other Immortals in the world. Little to his own knowing was that all along the Man in the Moon had a greater obligation in store for him than just being the Spirit of Winter.

"So, your telling me that I'm…a….that the Man in the Moon wants me to be a Guardian?"

"Of course!" Alice blue went silver.

"Oh hell no!"

Chapter 2: The Frost Child


	2. Chapter 2: The Frost Child

Chapter 2: The Frost Child

From the outside where the Spirit of Winter was watching the spectacle that was the dreamsand of the Sandman, a tendril crept in and curled around one of the children who had played in the snow earlier that day with Jamie – the girl with the pixie cut to her hair smiled in her sleep as a unicorn began prancing around her head as she snuggled up into her pillow and she hugged the plushy unicorn in her arms. The peaceful expression upon her face to most would be endearing but it would be terribly short lived. Darkness slowly crawled its way out from under her bed and shadows formed in a dark corner of her room where a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared and slowly a shadow stepped forward, cloaked in a black robe and ashen-skinned. A crooked tooth grin appeared as the figure loomed over the girl and laughed just a bit as it admired the little girl's pleasant dream.

"Ahhh, I thought I heard the clippity-clop of a unicorn. What an adorable dream!" the figure stated as his face softened a bit and a moved expression appeared in his eyes.

"And look at her! Precious child. So sweet, so full of hope and wonder. Why, there's only one thing missing...a touch of fear…"

A rather bony ashen finger touched the golden dream of the unicorn and it slowly corroded into a horrible skeletal creature that moved like bubbling tar until it formed an eerie, dark, and somehow elegant horse that was just big enough to fit into the man's hands. He looked it over with pride as the girl whined in pain and fear as the creature began to form a bit further and grow larger and slowly but surely continue to form itself.

"Hahaha! That never gets old! Feel your fear. Come on. Come on, that's right." Finally the shadow finished forming into a horse and it bucked and shook its head as the man grinned malevolently at the grotesque thing that he had created from the pure, innocent dream of the little girl. He grinned in a sinister manner.

"Yes. What a pretty little Nightmare. Now, I want you to go tell the others…..the wait is over." The horse shook its head and darted out the window as the shadows enveloped the man and he almost instantly reappeared on the streets.

He waltzed out of the shadows in a steady motion and into the light of a streetlamp as he grinned up at the moon. He saw his Nightmares forming into a herd amidst the sky, looking like Wraiths instead of bad dreams. He kept his diabolical smirk as more of them formed and slowly the golden glitter of the dreamsand became ebony and violet mixed with hunter greens, navy blues, offsetting yellow for the eyes and a faint gleam of silver. The man laughed as the Moon seemed to suddenly turn a gleaming beam on the shadowy man who only grinned broader.

"Don't look at me like that, old friend. You must have known this day would come. My Nightmares are finally ready. Are your Guardians? If not, I suggest you do something otherwise….it will be _my turn in the hearts of children_." With that, he vanished into the shadows once again.

 **{Near the Center of Burgess: 10:29pm March 31** **st** **2012}**

Jack walked along a telephone wire as the Dreamsand disappeared from the sky. Without question the Sandman knew when he needed his spirits lifted – he always knew without Jack even having to mention it – and that made the lonely Spirit of Winter much more capable of dealing with his emotions when they were out of sorts. He needed at least a minimum of interaction to keep himself from going insane. Once when the study of psychology was being taken seriously for the first time Jack had read a report that someone had left when he'd been browsing for something to read and it had stated that people needed at the very minimum eight touches or forms of contact daily to maintain a stable psyche and according to his count he had definitely had a certifiable reason if he had dropped off the sane side of the world for a bit. Jack ran a hand through his hair as he considered what to do with himself for the time he would soon have where snow and winter weather wouldn't be needed in most of the world – he would need something to occupy his time until autumn rolled in and he could tail it. Until then, he was going to be undoubtedly bored senseless, and as any could guess, his stability became lax during those months. He sighed again as he looked around him at Burgess. He had watched it change, watched it morph into a thriving small town that had accommodated all the additions of the twenty-first century and now he stood there balancing on the telephone wire with discontent in his system again.

"The world is going to keep changing…I'm frozen….I'm trapped this way….and I'm stuck without anyone here to reach out to me….what….you know what? Forget it! There's no point in asking you! Hell, you aren't going to answer me!" Alice blue eyes locked onto the Moon. Once more nothing came and he growled as he turned to walk away.

Suddenly a shadowy figure and an unfamiliar noise zipped by behind him and everything in his body jolted in agitation. Whatever it was made him uncomfortable. Jack glanced around and hopped from the wire to a roof top in questioning as he looked around him in a sense of unease as the shadow flew by him yet again and he narrowed his eyes. Jack leaped over a house to an adjacent tree to investigate where the shadow was heading when again, something moved behind him. Jack jumped down from the tree and onto a truck in a nearby alley to watch what was happening and felt his body tense again in aggression as he felt a familiar ache develop in his chest that had little to do with his frustrations and more to the fact that he was beginning to feel threatened. The shadow flashed by again, knocking over a trash can and he growled at that. Jack jumped down from the truck and backed up out of the alleyway into a clearing with his staff pointed a bit out ahead of him in preparation for an attack or defense depending on what came out. Since he had ultimately been given so much free time he had taken up to teach himself and watch several people learn how to fight – needless to say he had become quite skilled since his first fifty years – and he was definitely no push over. Alice blue turned Ash gray in faint belligerence of what was stalking him and what it would want. It was as he got a little closer to one of the alley ways that he heard a voice.

"Hello, mate." Jack spun on his heels and looked at the shadowy form that he recognized blearily as someone he'd encountered in the past.

"Been a long time. Blizzard of sixty-eight, I believe? Easter Sunday, wasn't it?" In his bewilderment, Jack realized who it was and eased his tension a bit before leaning against his staff with a smirk.

"Bunny? You're not still mad about that...are yah?" the seven-foot hare eyed him in indignation while Jack watched calmly knowing that he needn't deny that he caused the blizzard – naturally he couldn't have exactly helped it either – but Bunny didn't need to know the details.

"Yes… But this is about something else. Fellas..." Jack felt a creeping chill that had nothing to do with his powers acting up run up his spine and he turned just in time for a massive hand to pick him up by the back of his blue hoodie and him be hoisted into the air.

"Hey! Put me down! What the f…." Instantly he began struggling against the grip and glared at the Yeti that had him only for the thing to have another one of them open a red velvet sack and toss him inside it. Jack snarled as the thing was shut closed and he set a glare at the darkness that greeted him. This was going to officially top off his worst day of the New Year thus far, and it wasn't even April yet.

On the outside of the sack he was being imprisoned in, Bunny was giving the Yetis an impressed look as they took out a snow-globe and tossed it with a grumbling tone to open a portal to the workshop at the North Pole. Bunny frowned a bit as he imagined the Winter Sprite was going to be rather irate when he realized what was about to happen – if he could that is – but then again, a little payback would be worth whatever that boy could come up with. Bunny looked at the Yetis who were watching him.

"Dwbard urghwetee?" Bunny perked up at that as he heard a stream of muffled words coming from the sack and could tell that the boy was threatening to do something.

"Me? Not on your nelly. See you back at the pole." Bunny stomped his foot twice upon the ground which swirled open as a rabbit hole magically appeared and he jumped into it. This was his preferred form of transportation, but the Yetis thought it polite to at least ask – the rabbit hole disappeared and in its place bloomed a small pink-petaled daisy. The two Yeti looked at each other as another stream of words left the sack that contained the winter spirit who was becoming more irate by the second. They flinched at a curse that came from the boy and looked to one another.

"Bwardla arghl?" the other Yeti shrugged as they turned towards the portal and tossed the sack.

"AHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL! I KNOW I'M NOT FRAGILE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TREAT ME LIKE A…"

Before he could finish his tirade he was thrown into some kind of portal and he heard the crash of what sounded like some kind of bells and soon was rolling out in the sack on a wooden floor. The Yetis who threw him were still present and he knew his aggression was growing worse by the moment. He decided to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being unless something pushed him past the point of his restraint and if that were to happen – well, North would have to get used to the ice ferns – and he would just have to get used to being on the naughty list. Jack waited as movement and whispers began around him. He hated it when people thought they could bully him or do something because he was small in build. Yes, he was well aware that he was rather lithe in build, but he had never let that stop him before, and if these people or whomever they were decided they needed to treat him a certain way he would happily show them _how cold winter could be._ He was fairly sure of two things at the time being though: one was that he was no longer in Burgess, and two, his captors knew who he was and what he was, otherwise, he would have already frozen the sack he had been stuffed into and would have easily made them wish they'd never even considered kidnapping him. He growled as movement began at the opening and suddenly two small faces with burnt orange eyes peered in and he snarled in an animalistic manner – startling the elves to run away as he tried to think of his options.

" _That whole – I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore – bit is starting to look very appealing all of the sudden."_

He heard a hearty laugh and the flutter of wings, and he realized that he was not alone with elves or Yetis – there were people present and he probably sounded like an irritated wolf right about now – but he would rather them think he was a wolf than a mouse. He narrowed his eyes and without question knew they had turned timber wolf silver again. They only changed color when certain aspects of his personality came out and the color they were now was all for his darker side, just as the cerulean blue was for when he became mournful. He sighed as he heard another laugh and the tinkling of bells followed by squeaks and fluttering wings and a thump of what he knew where rabbit feet. He waited as the forms of those around him stilled and then he felt it safe to reason what to do next.

"Tangiers! Incivie du haut, four-twenty-one rue de Barat! Allez!" Jack frowned as he did not instantly recall the language the woman was speaking in.

"Shush he's here!" a thick Russian accent stated.

"Walla Walla, Washington. We've got a trampoline mishap at thirteen-forty Ginger Lane." The woman was speaking again and this time Jack just sighed again and looked around as he slowly edged his way out of the sack. He then looked up to see none other than Santa Claus himself, North and Sandman looking down at him. His eyes glanced towards the Tooth Fairy who was surrounded by a dozen hovering tiny fairies who came and went as she blurted out orders.

"Canine, lateral and central incisor. Ouch!" North cleared his throat and Jack's attention went back to him as he remained inside the sack. Without any reason, he was honestly content to stay put and let them believe they had the wrong person – if these people were together, then he knew he'd done something _very bad._ Nothing brought the Guardians together and pushed them to deal with the other Immortals unless they had outright done something that either Mother Nature or _The Man in the Moon_ had deemed punishable. If he had to be a rouge then he could survive – he'd done it for pretty much three centuries now – and he was positive that wasn't about to change.

"Hey! There he is! Jack Frost!" North held his arms out to welcome him but he was quite content with the sack he had been shoved into. There was no way he was going out there to them – regardless of how welcoming they looked.

" _Well, I'm screwed either way – they know my name and what I clearly look like – yea I'm dead…"_

A dreamsand snowflake appeared above Sandy's head and he gave them a deadpan expression, knowing that it wasn't worth his secondary guesses at this point. If he wasn't careful, he would probably end up as nothing but a distant memory – who knew what the Guardians of all people were capable of after all – and in some grim satisfaction he wondered if they would in fact end his pitiful existence. He gulped as he looked out a bit.

"You gotta be kidding me…." The visible people looked confused.

"No joke Frost, get out here!" the Australian accent was a dead ringer for a certain seven-foot rabbit.

"No, I'm content here thanks…" two massive hands gripped the sack and he was suddenly jerked from his dark confines and set on the ground. As soon as he was out of the sack and in the air by the two Yetis grasp he narrowed his eyes and shot them an annoyed glare.

"Hey, hey. Whoa, put me down!" they complied and he sighed as he eyed the area around him and saw his staff. North stepped forward and he blinked.

"I hope the yetis treated you well?" Jack gave him a sarcastic smirk.

"Oh, yeah. I love being shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal." Sarcasm heavy in his tone, Jack hoped he let North know how completely unenthused he was by his means of transportation. North laughed jollily and he felt an internal groan come forward mentally.

"Oh, good! That was my idea! You know Bunny, obviously," North stated as he eyed the boy. Jack flipped his staff up and caught it mid-air before shooting Bunny an unimpressed glance. He clearly wasn't in the mood for any of this, so why were they so persistent? Wasn't his expression enough?

"Obviously…" Jack walked a little closer and North nodded to continue introductions. Bunny stood off to the side, grumbling with his arms crossed.

"And the Tooth Fairy?" North asked as Jack suddenly noticed the mini tooth fairies hovering near him, staring and twittering about. Great, fan girls – just what he needed. Jack cast them a nervous glance before looking back to North.

"Hello, Jack. I've heard a lot about you. And your teeth!" Jack was suddenly ambushed by a beautiful woman who was covered from head to toe in a plethora of exotic colored feathers. He momentarily was awestruck by the appearance of the Tooth Fairy until she had said those words.

"My, my what?" she smiled brightly and he felt his heart sink.

"Open up! Are they really as white as they say? Yes!" the woman moved in closely and he felt a knot form in his chest at how close she was – the sudden proximity of someone who wasn't going to pass through him sent waves of discomfort through him – and he tried to move back.

However, the Tooth Fairy crammed her dainty fingers into his mouth and made him open up as she giggled like a school girl, and he had the sudden urge to bite down and make her step away from him. He shuddered at the proximity again, and felt relief when she seemed to be placated.

"Oh, they really do sparkle like freshly fallen snow!" Jack felt her move back and let a sigh escape him as several of the fairies near her swooned and awed while he felt himself once more internally groan in displeasure over the entire event.

" _Since when do I have a group of….what do I even call that? What the hell is going on here?"_

"Girls, pull yourselves together! Let's not disgrace the uniform…" Jack wanted to laugh and ask what uniform she was talking about exactly but was interrupted by North again.

"And Sandman….." Jack smirked a bit at the sleeping little gold man whom he was thankful was present – at least one familiar face that didn't hate his guts was nice he supposed – and having an ally amidst the judges always helped.

"Sandy? Sandy?! Sandy! Wake up!" Sandy bolted up awake and alert before stepping up to Jack, smiling. The Spirit of Winter sighed knowing that he now needed answers seeing as none of them wanted to explain.

"Hey! Ho! Anyone wanna tell me why I'm here?" Jack back stepped a bit and caught the confused expression of the others as he did so before North laughed again. Sandy went to explain and Jack crouched down to look at them but soon they became too quick for him to read and he sighed.

"That's not really helping. But thanks, little man." Jack stood up and back stepped before looking around him in curiosity whilst trying to reason what had caused the _Big Four_ to gather for someone like him. What had he done? What had been said about him already? Who had complained? What were they going to do with him? Several questions ran through his mind and he nearly groaned aloud as he reasoned talking to them would be his only option.

"I musta done something really bad to get you four together." He walked by an elf holding up a tray of cookies and froze it over before twirling his staff with ease and placing it against his shoulder. He paused as he looked at North.

"Am I on the Naughty List?" to that the Russian man bellowed out a deep laugh. Was that supposed to be comical? Jack kept an eye on the man for the time being in mild concern.

"On naughty list? You hold record! But, no matter. We overlook. Now we are wiping clean the slate." To that, Jack had to smirk – so much for that record – and turned his attention back to the man only in questioning.

"How come?" he turned to face them and saw the man quirk his eyebrow with a smile.

"Ah, good question." Bunny mumbled this to the Russian man and Jack gave him a bland look – did he really hate him that much? – Honestly, you ruin one Easter and you were branded with a scarlet letter.

"How come? I tell you how come! Because now...you are Guardian!" North exclaimed in excitement and Jack felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. Could he die now? Or did he have to watch first?

With Jack's confusion to occupy him, Yeti's lit ceremonial torches with a flicker and a whoosh of fire coming to life caught his attention causing the element within him to begin acting up – fire plus a winter spirit never mixed – and Jack saw this as a prime reason to be concerned. Just as his mind reasoned what to do about the fire Elves leapt from columns, unfurling homemade, celebratory banners as they descended. Jack brushed off a few baby teeth who try to present him with a necklace made of paper snowflakes, and he felt another growl work its way up his throat. This was something he hadn't been expecting, and he didn't like whatever sick joke this was because, right at this moment, he was becoming very much tired of their games. Jack narrowed his eyes as the baby teeth came back to him again.

"What are you doing?! Get…get that off of me!" the little tooth fairies flew away and he decided not to think about their feelings being hurt right then – his anger was becoming a more concerning problem. However, Jack's voice was drowned out by the sounds of horns and drums which added to his oncoming headache.

"This is the best part!" the other Guardians did nothing as Jack struggled to keep his budding aggression at bay – he did _not need to freeze the North Pole Workshop over_ – but these type of situations were not helping him.

And suddenly his hope that had bloomed that this was the end of the surprises North could throw at him were dashed as an elf marching band struck up, parading into the room. Two yetis moved Jack on to a designated spot on the floor while Jack happened to glance down to find an elf pointing at his bare feet. The elf then directed his attention to two approaching elves, carrying a pair of ceremonial boots. Jack's confusion escalated at that point as did his frustration as he ignored the elves. Three centuries without putting shoes on made it fairly simple to be used to not wearing them, and he didn't particularly care to change that because of some upstarting ceremony. His attention was drawn forward as a Yeti handed North an old large book. The Russian blew off the dust, and opened it before he began clearing his throat. Jack felt his jaw clench as he scanned the room. His eyes went from Alice blue to timber wolf silver – he had reached the end of his rope but none of them had noticed it - The Mini Teeth continued to fawn, Sandy was smiling, Bunny was apathetic, and North looked on like a proud father. At that point Jack could take no more and gritted his teeth before he slammed his staff down and sent a blast of frost and wind across the room. The torches were snuffed out and the room fell silent in shock. Bunny stared at him as he shot a glare at North – the rabbit took instant note of the sharp silver tone of his irises and frowned, not liking the look of his eyes one bit – it was a clear sign the boy had reached his end in restraint and if he knew one thing it was to never corner an aggressive animal.

"What makes you think I want to be a Guardian?" Jack's tone suggested he wanted to add to that, and possibly use very specific words, but held his tongue as North busted out in laughter, holding the book in his hands and then suddenly stopped and looked to Jack with a bemused expression.

"Of course you do! Music!" The elves blared the trumpets again. Celebration began to resume and Jack felt ice crackle to life around his body.

"NO MUSIC!" He snapped startling the group once more. His breathing was growing a bit tense and he knew that he was slipping on control. He took in a shuttering breath at that point and calmed enough to try and reasonably – why was that word even in his vocabulary? – figure out what was happening. The music petered out again before an elf threw his trumpet to the ground and stormed off. North, displeased by his actions, glowered at him. Jack, honestly at this point, could care less.

"Look, this is all very flattering, honestly it is but, ah...you don't want me….." he said in exasperation as he moved across the way and soundlessly landed atop an outcrop near the control system for the Globe of Belief as he tried to keep himself calm. He stood there momentarily and looked them over.

"Why not? You'll fit right in!" said North.

"Because you're….all hard work and deadlines, and I'm…..I'm….snowballs and fun times. I'm not a Guardian." He slipped to sit down and braced his staff on the ground and out just a bit to extend his arms. If he had to get out of the workshop quickly, he wanted to give them no chances to catch him again.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said!" Bunny stated, while Jack felt suddenly grateful for the rabbit's displeasure with him.

"Jack, I don't think you understand what it is we do." Tooth flew to him and turned his attention to the massive Globe fully of lights behind him. He stared at it, only slightly curious.

"What is that exactly?" she turned to him.

"Each of those lights is a child…" Jack looked up at the Globe, taking in the enormity of the statement but still finding himself unsure of the entire purpose. North suddenly moved to his side, and he felt his body go into defense, and stiffen at the sudden presence.

"A child who believes. And good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them….." Jack gagged as fingers pushed into his mouth again and wanted to bite down once more. North, having seen this, sighed.

"Tooth! Fingers out of mouth!" the Tooth fairy composed herself and looked to Jack, who decided he did not want to put cannibalism on a list of potential acts in his life at any point – not that he'd considered it before, but he would be reminded now to ask Tooth to remind him not to make her a preference – and at that, he turned his attention back to North.

"Oh, sorry. They're beautiful." He sighed as North cleared his throat.

"Okay, no more wishy-washy! Pitch is out there doing who knows what!" at that, Jack paused. Pitch Black? Last he'd heard, that old codger had been locked away in an underground prison almost four centuries ago. Was he back? His attention turned to the others again.

"Wait…you mean the Boogeyman? Seriously?" North nodded.

"Yes! When Pitch threatens us, he threatens them as well." The man pointed to the lights upon the Globe, and Jack tisked at that.

"All the more reason to pick someone more qualified…" and then he heard Tooth again and clenched his jaw – he did not want her shoving her fingers into his mouth again.

"Pick? You think we pick? No, you were chosen! Like we were all chosen. By Man in Moon," North stated. At that Jack froze and turned to look at the group. Up until that point, he had been walking away, done with the conversation and uninterested in dealing with anything else related to the group. Now, he was highly confused and definitely spooked.

"What?" Tooth came near him and he backed up, causing the woman to give him a concerned glance.

"Last night, believe it or not, Jack. He chose you," she said. He tensed. This wasn't happening.

"Maybe…" Bunny was the only voice of reason? What had he gotten himself into?

"The Man in the Moon? He talks to you?" Jack's body tensed, and Tooth moved back knowing he wasn't in the mood to be crowded. Bunny took that into account again, and was thankful Tooth took the hint.

"You see, you cannot say no. It is destiny," North supplemented this, and Jack felt his body tremble just a bit at that word.

"Destiny? What the hell would any of you know about destiny? I can say no to destiny if I want to, _North!_ I want no part of this!" with that he moved to walk away, and then someone spoke up.

"You have to Jack – the Man in the Moon is giving an answer that was clearly needed," said Tooth. And that there was his secondary end.

"But why? Why wouldn't he tell me that himself?" his tone grew strained and Tooth tried to move to him but the air around him was growing colder than she could honestly stand.

"Jack, listen…" he whirled on her and set a livid glare at her presence. Tooth moved away again at that, and he locked his eyes on the moon that was present still.

"After three hundred years! This is his answer? After asking for something to go on for three damn _centuries!_ His answer is to spend the rest of eternity like you guys? Cooped up in some hideout? Thinking of…of new ways to _bribe kids?_ Hell no!" North moved to him now.

"Jack, you are what the Man in Moon made you to be."

" _It's coming. Don't you feel it?"_ something inside him whispered that, but even he wasn't entirely sure what it meant.

Fear - that was something he had felt before, but why was it creeping up on people left and right? What was happening? In the midst of the night, Jack Frost was about to get an answer that he never expected to find and never thought he would receive because of four people who - to his knowledge - disliked him as much as most of the other Immortals in the world. Little to his own knowing was that all along, the Man in the Moon had a greater obligation in store for him than just being the Spirit of Winter. What was that psycho in the rock thinking now? Jack frowned as he looked to North.

"So, your telling me that I'm…a….that the Man in the Moon wants me to be a Guardian?" his tone was disbelieving and sarcastic, but North clearly wasn't good at sarcasm.

"Of course!" Alice blue went silver and the boy stiffened again.

"Oh hell no! No! That's not for me!" Jack shifted a bit at his sudden outburst leaving the Guardians stunned by his words.

"Oh boy…" muttered Bunny. Jack shifted again.

"No offense…" at that, the rabbit grew irate.

"How is that not offensive?" he snapped. He was oddly relieved by this turn of events, and as Jack moved to walk away the rabbit continued.

"Jack…" started Tooth, but she was cut off by the rabbit.

"You know what I think? I think we just dodged a bullet. I mean, what does this clown know about bringing joy to children anyways?" to that, the group saw the boy pause and then turn to Bunny with a glare.

"Uhh, you ever hear of a snow day? I know it's no _hard-boiled egg_ , but kids like what I do." Jack moved closer to Bunny who stood tall and loomed over the smaller framed teenager.

"But none of 'em believe in you. Do they? You see, you're practically invisible, mate. It's like you don't even exist," Bunny said smugly as he watched silver turn Alice blue and then go to cerulean. The boy was hurt by that, and the cool and jaded shade of blue was a dead ringer for it. He looked down at the boy and frowned – what would he do next?

"Bunny! Enough!" to that Jack gave a sarcastic laugh.

"No, no, the kangaroo's right!" the others looked stunned as Bunny rounded on the lithe teenager.

"The, the what - what'd you call me? I am not a kangaroo, mate," Bunny stated as the winter spirit gave him a secondary sarcastic smirk.

"Oh. And this whole time I thought you were. If you're not a kangaroo, what are you?" Jack leaned a bit closer, his eyes transcending into ash gray in a faint warning to not push his luck. Bunny heeded that, but couldn't control his tongue.

"I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny. People believe in me!"

None of them had the chance to be warned when shards of ice shot out around the Spirit of Winter. Bunny hopped back as the boy's eyes went timber wolf silver and he snarled at the rabbit. He didn't honestly care _who_ the overgrown rodent _thought he was_ because in the next few seconds, the Guardian of Hope was going to be praying he lived to see the next day. The room grew dark, the ice that was typically kept out crawled up from the floors to the walls and encircled the four Guardians who stared transfixed as the boy let his bangs hide his eyes so not to have to meet theirs. He was going to give them a piece of his mind, and if they didn't like it then they were going to need a lot more than kind words and consideration to win him over. Jack felt Bunny's paw reach for a boomerang and he shot a spike of ice at the rabbit who froze as it pointed to his throat.

"I'd watch what you say to me, rodent…I'm appeasable most of the time….but let's get one thing straight right now!"

The four of them stared as the boy locked sharp silver eyes on him, and Bunny stared into those intense eyes which now had slightly curved pupils – they were almost slits like a cat's eye but not quite – as the spirit of winter gave him a fair warning. He didn't honestly care what any of them thought of him, what they had to say about him - he was going to let them know _exactly_ what he felt. His gaze, as hard and cold as the element he controlled had the Guardian of Hope back up in surrender and the elves scrambling as the Yeti stood still so not to incur any wrath upon themselves. Sandy was staring wide eyed while Tooth was quiet with a hand to her mouth. Jack gave Bunny a once over before stepping back.

"I don't _like being this way_ – I never requested to be invisible at all – and just for your information…I didn't spend three centuries avoiding humans… _they walk straight through me damn it!_ To them…I am invisible! So the next time you decide to step on someone's feelings maybe you should consider what being the _Guardian of Hope_ really means to you okay? You pompous flee bag!" With that, the storm vanished in the blink of an eye and Jack stepped away from them, leaving most stunned silent.

" _Bloody Hell! What was that?"_ Bunny looked the boy over. Jack eyed him slightly almost as if he could hear what he was thinking.

"Excuse me…but I think I'd rather not waste any more time here. Thanks for going through all the effort, but I…" North stepped forward and looked him over.

"What would you say to spending some time here to get to know everyone?" Jack paused.

"What?" Alice blue eyes widened. North nodded.

"Stay here at the Pole for a bit – get to know us – and then make your choice…I know it cannot be easy…but…Manny believes your power can stop Pitch and his plans so…I think…get to know new people and we learn about you too…then you decide," North suggested this, and Jack stared confused by the entire series of events.

"I…I don't…" he glanced down and Sandy nodded his head.

"Just give us a chance – Bunny's just a bit of a stiff – but if we get to know each other more we might become friends right?" offered Tooth. He gulped, unsure of what to think about the offer.

"But I'm…" North sighed.

"No different than any other – you have had hardships – we will try to understand better so….how about it Jack?" the boy stepped away from them before glancing to the side. Was it so bad? To give it a chance? He glanced between them and the floor and sighed.

"I…um…o-okay….I'll…give it a shot…" Jack figured he was either going to regret this or be glad he did it – for now though he couldn't be sure – therefore he would tread lightly.

"Wonderful! Yeti have room set up for you! You can eat and rest – we will discuss plans while you rest for others to stay here – and wake you for dinner!" to that the others gaped, while Jack was reluctantly led away by a Yeti.

"North?" the man nodded.

"We discuss in room." The others sighed knowing they really didn't have a choice.

 **{April 1** **st** **12:01am: North Pole Guardian's meeting room.}  
**

None of the four people in the room were certain where they should begin. The last day had been strange, and oddly smothering. Jack Frost wasn't quite the sweet tempered, shy, and quiet boy they were thinking and he most certainly wasn't a push over. They were positive he was more than capable of putting them in their place if he so chose to – but they had other concerns. Bunny's ranting right then was enough to give North a headache, and Tooth was oddly quiet while her fairies were gone - they still expected her to speak - and Sandy was settled there twiddling his thumbs in bewilderment. North heard Bunny continue before he frowned as the rabbit cast him a long stare.

"He's dangerous – like I said!" Bunny stated sternly. North sighed.

"What you see as danger, I see as raw potential. Boy is just unsure of himself." Sandy nodded and then Tooth sighed.

"I find it so strange – he was sarcastic and a little cocky at first, and then when he and Bunny got into it he completely changed - that worries me North…he's not really unsure so much as he is scared of what he can do," Tooth stated.

"Yes, I know….he is good person with adjustments needed…we can help him." The Easter Bunny looked unconvinced.

"North, you're implying that you can undo three hundred years of this personality. Jack Frost may be capable of kindness, but he most certainly isn't _consistent_ with that attitude. Like I said, he is many things but he is not a Guardian," Bunny stated simply. North sighed.

"Look, he is alone – friends or those to speak to may help no?" to that Tooth frowned.

"Bunny?" she inquired the hare who looked her over.

"Yea Tooth?" she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I thought you said Jack was in his twenties – he doesn't look like someone that age – and I…honestly…Bunny I think you've misjudged his actually age," she stated.

"His age? Tooth, he's three hundred years old!" the Fairy shook her head.

"No, I mean his physical age Bunny! He's not an adult – he's still a child," she said.

This, without question, floored them. Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter, the incarnation of mischief and chaos was nothing more than _a child._ Albeit an immortal child, but the statement was earthshattering to them. Did they really neglect a child? They, who were supposed to help the children of the world, had missed the one who was more than likely the most lonesome - the one who had suffered more than anyone - and what had they done? Ignored him, looked down upon him because he was different, and rebellious, they shunned him because they believed he was apathetic, uncaring, and unable to feel. But Jack wasn't - if anything, they had seen proof of how wounded he was. And that, right then and there, when he had told them how this world made him feel, should have been a perfect reason for them to feel guilty because – _they had failed their jobs as Guardians._

"Wait! You're saying that he's….but…Tooth…." North eyed Bunny.

"If you look at him he may not seem to be that young, and I agree with you there Bunny. What makes you say so Tooth?" at that the Tooth Fairy frowned.

"Well, if I can be honest….his behavior, the way he carries himself, and his personality in general are the typically aesthetics of a teenager. I'd wager he's between the ages of fourteen to eighteen at best…he might know if we ask him tonight, but I'd do so lightly, because I don't think I want to make him angry like he was earlier…especially if we want him to trust us," Tooth said honestly.

"Are you saying that's his actual age? Or his personality age?" the woman looked indignant.

"His _actual age Bunny!_ I don't know what you think I was insinuating," she stated sharply. Bunny groaned.

"So, Jack is…actually still a child…. Stravinsky! What do you propose we do Tooth?" North asked.

"Personally? Get to know him, learn about him and let him ask questions – I think he needs to learn that we're not going to turn on him, and that he can be comfortable around us. We need to show him he can drop his guard." Bunny groaned at that.

"Are you off your rocker? That bodgy ankle biter ain't gonna drop his guard and if he does…Oh crikey! I don't want to see what might happen if he gets spooked! He nearly lopped me head off earlier!" Sandy sighed as he looked at the others.

"You wounded him…" the others paused at the gentle and soothing voice that came in. They turned to look a Sandy who was giving them a very bland look.

"Mate did you just…" the golden man nodded.

"I don't talk often, but I do want to make a point of the fact that Jack Frost does indeed have strong mental barriers….however….those barriers - whether self-induced or put up by force - can only take so much. Bunny, when you said those things to him, it cracked his restraint – his wall of protection – and because of that….he felt threatened…how does an animal that feels threatened handle those situations?" Sandy inquired this, and Bunny glanced to him while his ears twitched.

"They retaliate….did that brat…do that because I…." Sandy nodded.

"I believe we need to do as Tooth suggested and as _slowly as possible_ introduce him to each of us and learn more about one another. We need him to, if not drop his guard – to at minimum decrease it to where he isn't flinching away from us, wouldn't you agree?" the others nodded.

"Then we'll…shoot for tonight at dinner to learn more, I guess?" asked Tooth.

"Agreed." Without question, this was going to be a very long dinner. None of them knew how Jack would react to the interactions, and they would have to keep in mind that he wasn't fond of close contact so not to spook him anymore than they already had. For now, just getting through the evening and the next few days while awaiting something to begin would be all they could do. But hopefully, things would even out.

 **{…}**

 _And what do you think you'd ever say? I won't listen anyway…_

 **{….}**

Author's Note: Okay, so here's chapter 2. I hope all of you are liking it so far. Today I won't babble but I try to keep a steady update when I get the chance. So, see you next time!

Preview:

Learning about one another whilst awaiting a move from a dangerous enemy man have not been the greatest of plans, but Sandy and North had both stressed how important it was for all of them to adapt to being around a certain winter spirit who looked more than ready to bash them over the head with his staff nine-times out of ten. And yet, they were learning a few things about his personality, how to tell when he'd had enough and when they could push the boundary. That was also coupled with him showing them a few quirks, and a few things that concerned them for the Immortal child.

"Well, I've had to do things to keep myself busy for the last three hundred years…"

Chapter 3: And you are?


	3. Chapter 3: And You Are?

Chapter 3: And you are?

 **{April 1st 12:00am 2012 – North Pole}**

Jack sat in his room, minding his own business for the time being. He had finally gotten away from the others and was thankful that it was over with for now. By agreeing to North's proposal he had signed away the one chance he had of escape and now would have no other choice but enduring whatever the Guardians put him through. With a sigh Jack laid back against his bed in faint unsureness. Not because he was in a strange place, surrounded by strange people and things, or the Man in the Moon's insane proxies – of which he so desired to be removed from – but no, it was none of those things, and what it was made him feel slightly foolish. He was uncomfortable due to the fact that he was unable to recall the last time he'd _slept in a bed_. It was trivial to a majority of people, but he often slept in snowbanks, in caves, carved out glaciers, abandoned homes or wherever he could find when he felt the need to sleep. Therefore, being in a bed, in a room, and in a home felt irritating in a strange way. He wanted to go far away from where he was and not think about it, but for now he had no choice but to remain there and wait for the die to fall where they may.

"I never asked for you to pick me to be a Guardian….so…..why is this your answer? What do you want with me? What am I to you and them?" Jack asked aloud in questioning of his situation.

He had spent three hundred years isolated, so why did it have to change now? With a sigh Jack got up from his bed and started out of the room and down the hallway. North's workshop was indeed interesting and different but it was also not somewhere he preferred being. Compared to the icy fortress that was his home he found it unexciting and lacking something, but he did remind himself, he is the incarnation of winter and things were going to feel different to him. Jack walked further down the hall and took a left before hearing voices coming from a room and peering towards it. Without much trouble he could feel and almost hear the others inside the room chattering about something and due to that Jack felt the need to go over to the room and listen in on the conversation that was taking place.

Jack creeped up to the doorway and leaned against it – drawing in his powers and the natural cold aura he gave off to hide better- and listened in on the conversation. It was quiet for the most part, the voices were rather calm, and he could tell it was the others that were present at most. He took in a steadying breath as he heard the soft pat of Bunnymund's feet against the floor as the rabbit walked over to the fire place. Jack heard a humming bird wing flutter which signaled Tooth, a faint thump of North's boots, and the barely audible tinkling of bells that made up the sound of Sandy's dream sand. As he listened to them moving about the room, mostly silent still, and waited for them to speak and give him the details on why they had gathered. In all of two seconds Jack had an answer as to why they were present.

"He's dangerous – like I said!" Bunny's voice was evident which left him momentarily stunned when he heard the words come from the Guardian of Hope.

" _Dangerous? He really thinks I'm that threatening?"_ confused by the statement Jack listened in further to the conversation.

"What you see as danger, I see as raw potential. Boy is just unsure of himself," North spoke on what was being said and Bunny grunted.

"I find it so strange – he was sarcastic and a little cocky at first, and then when he and Bunny got into it he completely changed - that worries me. North… he's not really unsure so much as he is scared of what he can do." Tooth's calm tone assisted in both easing Bunny and luring Jack further into listening.

"Yes, I know….he is good person with adjustments needed…we can help him," North replied.

Jack rolled his eyes at that statement. Why would the Guardians want to help the personification of chaos and mischief? Let alone the one immortal that made everyone around him uncomfortable for reasons that he didn't recall. Jack sighed faintly and remained still as he waited to hear what the others would say next, in hopes of knowing what he would be up against. As he remained still he heard a few huffs and a grunt again before the conversation continued.

"North, you're implying that you can undo three hundred years of this personality. Jack Frost may be capable of kindness, but he most certainly isn't consistent with that attitude. Like I said, he is many things but he is not a Guardian," Bunny stated simply. North sighed.

"Look, he is alone – friends, or those to speak to, may help no?"

At that point Jack wanted to storm in and give them a piece of his mind. Without question, none of them knew what it was like for him in this life – or how dangerous he could be when he was furious enough to not think rationally. Again, why was that in his vocabulary? Jack shook his head as he looked at the shadows being cast upon the floor. For some reason he was trying to be patient and calm, but failed in some areas when it came to hearing the conversation.

"Bunny?" Tooth's voice called out to the Easter Hare.

"Yea Tooth?" she shifted in a manner that told Jack she was uncomfortable.

"I thought you said Jack was in his twenties – he doesn't look like someone that age – and I…honestly…Bunny I think you've misjudged his actual age," she stated.

"His age? Tooth, he's three hundred years old!" the Fairy's shadow shook its head.

"No, I mean his physical age Bunny! He's not an adult – he's still a child," she said.

For once in three hundred years, Jack heard something he had longed for – that the Guardians had to own up to what they had failed to do – and at last it wasn't an outsider, but _one of the Guardians themselves_ that admitted they'd fallen short. Jack was, according his appearance, a child, and the one true job a Guardian had was to protect children. He scoffed silently at the notion – protect children? How? And why would they bother? They never seemed to even look in his direction once and now just because the damn _Man in the Moon_ said they needed him, he was important. Jack gritted his teeth and the stillness continued, but he did wonder what would happen now that Tooth, of all people, had brought it up. Would the Guardians own up to it? Would they listen to her and take heed? Would they do their jobs better? Or would they continue to ignore people like him? Jack waited for an answer that he hoped he would be happy to hear.

"Wait! You're saying that he's….but…Tooth…."

"If you look at him, he may not seem to be that young, and I agree with you there Bunny. What makes you say so, Tooth?" Jack felt a small twinge at the mentioning of his age. For some reason, it made him uncomfortable.

"Well, if I can be honest….his behavior, the way he carries himself, and his personality in general are the typically aesthetics of a teenager. I'd wager he's between the ages of fourteen to eighteen at best…he might know if we ask him tonight, but I'd do so lightly, because I don't think I want to make him angry like he was earlier…especially if we want him to trust us," Tooth said honestly.

"Are you saying that's his actual age? Or his personality age?" He could easily imagine Tooth looking rather irate.

"His actual age, Bunny! I don't know what you think I was insinuating," she stated sharply. Bunny groaned.

"So, Jack is…actually still a child…. Stravinsky! What do you propose we do Tooth?" North asked.

"Personally? Get to know him, learn about him, and let him ask questions – I think he needs to learn that we're not going to turn on him, and that he can be comfortable around us. We need to show him he can drop his guard." Bunny groaned at that.

"Are you off your rocker? That bodgy ankle biter ain't gonna drop his guard and if he does…Oh crikey! I don't want to see what might happen if he gets spooked! He nearly lopped me head off earlier!"

"You wounded him…" the others paused at the gentle and soothing voice that came in. Jack smiled at the faint memory of the voice on the few occasions he'd heard it.

"Mate, did you just…" the golden man nodded.

"I don't talk often, but I do want to make a point of the fact that Jack Frost does indeed have strong mental barriers….however….those barriers – whether self-induced or put up by force – can only take so much. Bunny, when you said those things to him, it cracked his restraint – his wall of protection – and because of that….he felt threatened…how does an animal that feels threatened handle those situations?" Sandy inquired this.

"They retaliate….did that brat…do that because I…."

"I believe we need to do as Tooth suggested and as slowly as possible introduce him to each of us and learn more about one another. We need him to, if not drop his guard – to at minimum decrease it to where he isn't flinching away from us, wouldn't you agree?" the others nodded.

"Then we'll…shoot for tonight at dinner to learn more, I guess?" asked Tooth.

"Agreed."

Jack looked to the side and felt an abnormal chill crawl into his system, and then in mere moments his normal Alice blue eyes shifted into a sharp, timber-wolf silver, and a wicked smirk split across his lips in a manner that would have sent Pitch Black himself running. The Spirit of Winter glanced towards the room where the other Guardians were and could only let out a wispy laugh that sounded faintly hollow and icy compared to his normal one. His cold eyes glanced forward as he put his hands in his pockets and walked back to his room to sleep until morning. With a faint smirk of cool mischief upon his lips, he leaned against his door and glanced at the moon that was present in front of the window. He settled his staff down and looked at the area around where the moonlight showed the snow silver.

"Hello, Tsar Lunanoff, I hope you don't mind…..but it's nearly time….you must know that….please help me stay strong this time….please…..don't let me break this time…" with that the frost child turned off the lights and laid down on the bed before slowly falling asleep.

 **{April 1** **st** **7:34am – North Pole}**

Sandy dozed lightly in a chair as Tooth fluttered about to prepare her fairies to take care of their jobs for the day and Bunnymund worked on a few eggs – with Easter only a week away there was no time to waste – and the yetis and elves worked away on toys and breakfast for the morning. Routines fell into place, but as they continued on in their work. North began to take notice of a few key details that had little to do with his workshops typical workings. In a mere seconds North began rubbing his beard as he thought and tried to reason what was causing him to think of what was bothering him. As he stood there thinking Tooth watched with a frown on her face while Bunny huffed at North's lack of memory.

"Something missing….." Bunnymund laid his ears back.

"Don't bother, North, ankle biter is out cold…." Tooth rolled her eyes.

"I didn't know you could use puns Bunny!" North stated. The seven foot hare frowned.

"I ain't usin' no puns! He is sleepin' and it is damn cold in that there hall!" At that Tooth sighed.

"Why not see if he's hungry?" she asked.

"Ah! Wonderful! Dingle! Go wake Jack up would you?" the little elf nodded and walked away with a skip in its step.

As the elf passed, Sandy the golden man opened his eyes and watched as it went down the hall where a wintery chill was evident. As the elf went further down, Sandy blinked and then shot up and darted towards North, who received a hasty shake of the Sandman's head to get a point across. Sandy began to make random symbols above his head in a hurried fashion that made them a bit worried as a door opened and the group felt an icy chill bellow through the area as a half frozen elf came flying out of the hallway and into main room. Jack glanced out of the doorway of the hall and looked at the others while the group watched him send a glare towards the elf. Sandy flinched and flew over to the winter spirit as he sent slow symbols above his head while the other boy nodded or shook his head while Tooth hovered above the ground to watch and Bunny stared onward while North smiled and started to walk over.

"Jack, come eat with us," he said. To that, Jack narrowed his eyes which had turned a sharp timber wolf silver.

"Not hungry…." With that, the boy walked away and shut the door.

"What's eaten' at him?" Sandy shook his head and flashed a few details symbols above his head.

" _He said he wasn't feeling well rested and chose to sleep in today. You can check in again at lunch time, but don't expect to see him till dinner."_ As the symbols died down, North sighed.

"This may take more effort…" to that, they nodded.

"What gave ya that idea? The icy chill in the air, or the glare of death he sent us?" questioned Bunny.

"Neither, really….he just needs to be given time…"

Sandy questioned that statement sincerely; how much time could they give Jack? He wasn't known for his patience with people when it came to personal matters, and his current life as the Spirit of Winter was indeed something he tended to not discuss often with others. The Sandman sighed as he glanced down the hallway where Jack was present. He needed to assure himself that the boy was fine, but at the same time, he knew better than to proceed, even with caution. Sandy glanced at the elf that was being thawed by the fireplace, while Bunnymund and North shared a long look, as Tooth did her best to not say anything on the matter and potentially make it worse for Jack. However, Sandy did wonder something on what the boy was dealing with, and why he was so tired suddenly. As he saw the others turn their attention away from the hall, Sandy snuck away and down the chilly area as he started to head towards a door that North had painted blue for the boy to know which door was to his room.

The door was frosted with fern-like patterns that made Sandy smile as he jiggled the icy handle to the door before opening it slightly. Rime-shard sharp timber-wolf silver eyes locked onto his warm golden ones only to look down as he floated over to the boy and settled down against the foot of the bed while Jack remained seated with his knees up to his chest with his head resting upon them. Sandy had seen this same defensive pose several years ago on a dark, lifeless winter night in London, England's outskirts surrounded by howling winds and barren trees, but even then he couldn't stand to see it when he knew why the boy would do those things – it was in hopes of making himself seem just as invisible as he does to a majority of the mundane in the world – but Sandy also knew it was a shield to keep himself from being wounded further by the few times he'd had an encounter with other immortals. Today though, Sandy had every right to reach out to him and make sure that the frost child was still secure in his current state of mind. A slinking noise of bells caught Jack's attention as the little golden man formed symbols above his head.

" _Are you alright Jack?"_ a cold silver eye glanced up at him.

"Yea….thanks little man…." To that Sandy frowned and shook his head.

" _That's not true….what's wrong Jack?"_ the winter spirit shrugged a bit and let his bangs fall back into his eyes.

"I'm just tired I guess….why do you ask?" Jack questioned Sandy and the little golden man frowned again.

" _I'm merely concerned that your uncomfortable here and that it'll be too much on…."_

"I don't want to talk about that Sandy…..please don't talk to me about it anymore…" to that Sandy narrowed his eyes just a bit.

" _Jack! I know what's happened and I need to help you keep a level head and not…"_ the boy shot him a glare worthy of a war hardened solider and Sandy flinched back as the pupils of his eyes became fine cattish slits.

"Ye dare…." Jack paused as he felt the words leave his mouth and narrowed his eyes again as he dropped his gaze.

" _Jack…..please…..just allow me to help you remain in control…."_ The boy ground his teeth together and glanced up at him through his snowy colored bangs.

"Why help me with this? If they knew the truth…" Sandy nodded.

" _They will have to learn to understand what your difference is from the rest of us and accept it. Jack, please, if you just try and let people in this will ultimately give you a bigger chance of a life around others….please Jack, just try…."_

The boy looked down at that and put his head against his knees in discomfort. Sandy was always able to help him come out of his shell, and slowly but surely allow him to be more relaxed in where they were. However, he also was one of the few who could get away with playing tricks back at him or be closer to him – like they had been during that eighty-six year gap – and in the end he was thankful for a friend that actually understood him and wasn't afraid of something he didn't recall. Still, Jack questioned whether or not he could be that open and willing with the Guardians or if he should stick with what he knows and stay closed off to avoid harm that he knew could come. Sandy was right, and though he would need to try and be willing to let the others in he needed to be careful and watch to see what they would do from this point on.

"Alright Sandy…." The little golden man smiled and fired off a set of symbols that Jack read.

" _Thank you Jack, trust me they'll be good friends for you and you can trust them."_ to that Jack looked down.

"Okay…..I'll believe that Sandy…"

 **{6:01pm – April 1** **st** **2012 – North Pole}**

Jack Frost wasn't quite sure what to think of this situation. Here he was now sitting at a table in North's _home_ and he was expected to eat dinner with the others. Normally, Jack would do this out of sheer curiosity so he could get to know a few new immortals, but unfortunately his nerves had been worn thin as of late. What with the kidnapping, flaming batons, giddy elves and mini-fairies, meeting the Guardians, dealing with the Man in the Moon's impracticable ways, and finally being beaten down by Bunnymund and then being made to lose some of his restraint on his power to make a point be known. At this point he was sitting there silently as the others started to fill their plates. Alice blue eyes looked at the scene around him in curiosity and faint discomfort. Sandy didn't seem to have a preference but his plate was mostly filled with a mix of grains, meat and vegetables. He glanced to Bunny and found various vegetables and fruits while North was more starches and the like and Tooth's was lean meats and other garden items. Personally he wasn't sure what to even think about this situation. He was being made to eat with the people that currently he was still uncomfortable and irritated with.

"Come now Jack! You should eat!" North said as he smiled. The boy fidgeted in his seat.

"I um…" a Yeti put something in front of him and he blinked as he glanced up at one of them.

"Try this, after such a long day you must be tired and maybe you aren't too hungry because of that," the Russian said calmly.

Jack used a spoon to shift the broth around. He honestly didn't want to be rude – no matter how he felt about these people – but he wasn't that hungry. He sighed and blew slightly on the bowl of what appeared to be some type of ramen – or something along those lines, he hadn't been to Japan in a while – and watched the steam vanish. The others blinked and North stared at him as he took a spoonful of the dark brown broth and ate it before glancing towards him.

"Is something wrong?" the others blinked again.

"You cooled it down that easily?" asked Tooth. The boy shrugged.

"It burns my mouth otherwise. My body temperature is really low so…anything hot makes it harder for me to not be ill from it…the heat isn't so bad as much as the burns I can get." The others glanced between themselves.

"So what? You can't go to warm places?" Jack glanced at Bunny who looked genuinely curious.

"Um…I don't prefer warm meals or places but I can stand them…I froze lava once just by touching it so…" North gaped a bit.

"Svetlanov! That is some impressive magic!" he said. Jack glanced to the side.

"Yea I guess…..I don't flaunt that to most people though so…" Tooth smiled.

"Jack? Where are you from?" the boy paused momentarily.

"Burgess, that's where I was born." The others nodded faintly.

"Do you read?" asked North. Jack smiled a bit.

"I'm an avid reader….I've had three hundred years of not much to do….and thus...I tend to read so I can pass the time when I'm not spreading winter across the world…there are some places where I tend to stay in." the group looked at the boy as he eyed the bowl in front of him and Tooth smiled kindly.

"I have extensive library, so feel free to browse and read what you like," said the Russian man as Jack looked up at him.

"Oh! Thank you…um…" How was he supposed to talk to these people? He had three centuries of utter silence – minus a few hair-raising encounters with hostile immortals – and he was now questioning what to do with himself. He focused on the bowl of soup in front of him and did his best to not talk too much or handle anything that pertained to personal inquiries for the time being.

"I love romance novels and stories about ghosts," Tooth stated. Jack was quite surprised to learn that.

"What about you Sandy?" Jack looked to the golden man and the Sandman flickered a few pictures up to show his love of children's books, and mystery novels. Pale blue turned then to North who laughed.

"And you?" the Russian smiled.

"I love a good adventure story! But I also love a good comedic tale! Bunny loves gardening books and ones on martial arts!" he said happily while Jack smirked faintly.

"Got a green thumb kangaroo?" the others gaped at him and Bunny rolled his eyes.

"I am inclined to the season of spring! Of course I gotta green thumb ya gumby!" he looked at the boy who hummed.

"What about you Jack? What kind of stories do you like?" Tooth asked happy to have a topic. Jack glanced to her before thinking.

"I prefer fantasy stories, but I've come to like Gothic horror and mystery novels as well. On occasion I'll read a medical doctrine someone's typed up and take it into consideration – I started studying medical information several years ago out of curiosity and before I knew it I was reading text books and sitting in on lectures…" North hummed.

"Why interested in the body?" he asked. Jack shrugged.

"The body is a fascinating thing…the way it works and how it adapts is pretty amazing. One of my favorite works was Mary Shelly's Frankenstein." Tooth eyed him.

"I heard it was scary," she said.

"Not really, but all the same…." The boy kept his eyes down while the others eyed him.

Jack Frost looked like a rather typical teenager, his personality making up for his lacking areas – his frame was slight and lean in build, skin tone almost lacking a pigment, eyes the color of Alice blue, his hair was messy and windswept but somehow suited his playful persona even in its snowy color with tints of silvers suited someone physically older than himself. Jack had a kind smile and an interesting tone to his voice. It was smooth and gentle, but faintly deep and just a touch rough. It suited someone in their mid-teens and while his appearance – build, skin tone, hair, and eyes – was best for someone who would have experienced hardships in life he seemed fairly well held together. But that some of them felt was a farce. The boy's eyes told them a different story from his sarcastic tone and mischievous smirk, and that was that despite him appearing strong Jack Frost was nothing like that. He was wounded inside from three hundred years of isolation and Sandy knew that better than most.

The Sandman had become friends with the Winter Spirit roughly two centuries ago during a height of Dark Spirits appearing. It was in the years that were the end of the seventeen hundreds and the beginning of the Victorian era. Jack had somehow ended up in the thick of it and Sandy had found the boy struggling to understand why these events were happening and why he was forced into it. Needless to say both of them ended up working together in a hopes of staving off the spirits within Europe that had risen up. Back then, Sandy had learned a few things about Jack Frost and ultimately ended up befriending him and sticking with him through the battle period. But, those events and the things that he had learned about the boy would remain with him and the child who clearly didn't prefer to think of it. Sandy frowned as he looked at Jack and sighed because he knew it would be better if he didn't dwell on that period in his life, no matter how pleasant of an ending it had brought for the elemental spirit.

" _Even though that battle was horrible because of all those dark spirits…..he gained a friend in me and he smiled genuinely for the first time since I'd met him."_ Sandy thought as the boy took his time picking at the soup and its contense.

"Jack? Can I ask a question?" attention was then turned to North who looked at the Spirit of Winter and smiled.

"Um….well…what is it?" Alice blue eyes glanced at sky blue in slight unease before North sighed.

"I was wondering, how old are you?" the boy blinked in questioning.

"North, I said it earlier – _I'm three hundred years old._ Why?" to that Bunny shook his head.

"Na ya gumby, your body's age….ya know… _yer physical age_?"

The others watched as the boy's fair blue eyes widened just a fraction at the question. How old was he physically? Couldn't they tell from his appearance? Jack knew he wasn't thickly built, his skin was not tanned, and at best he was fairly gangly. Pale skinned, lithe, and not overly tall – but surely he didn't appear an age he wasn't right? The boy glanced down to the side and tried to think about what they meant. His physical age? He was certain he knew his age but he couldn't recall what he looked like since he'd last seen his reflection. The boy looked to North, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy who were awaiting his answer only for him to shrug faintly.

"I actually….don't know…" they gaped.

"You….whoa….wait a sec….whatta ya mean you don't know?" asked Bunny.

"I've never paid attention to what I look like. I know my hair is white and my eyes are blue, but I don't pay attention to any of that really…." Tooth looked him over.

"Jack? Do you not know how old you are?" she inquired this and the boy shrugged.

"I don't remember a lot of things…." Another long stare was given to him.

"Wait, either you don't know or you don't remember…which is it?" asked Bunny. Jack glanced to the side.

"My memory is a little blotchy…I'm missing eighty-six years of my memory from the eighteen hundreds in some areas. I remember a good bit of it but there are complete blank spots from that time period where I can't remember what I did or what happened….I do know I would have wounds sometimes but they were always treated so I assumed that someone was keeping an eye on me….that's...actually how I met Sandy the first time so…" Sandy smiled brightly at that and nodded to the others who stared between the two.

"You two have known each other this long? Sandy? Why did you not say so?" questioned North as a menagerie of images went off over the Sandman's head.

" _Jack and I are friends and I didn't see a reason to say anything at the time. He's only been able to see me on rare occasions so he was still very much alone up until that point. I had only met him about a month before the eighty-six year gap."_ The images finally died down.

"So you don't remember much of that time frame?" asked Tooth. He shook his head.

"I'm afraid I don't. There's not much I can do about it, but…." North smiled at that.

"No worries, you come help us and make new memories!" Jack glanced to him. Maybe he could? What was exactly stopping him? With a small sigh the Spirit of Winter gave him a small smile and looked at the others.

"I suppose so…."

Sandy frowned as he took note of the boy's discomfort around the others. He had the intention of making Jack more at ease with the others, but thus far he had been nothing but stiff and discomforted in their responses and questions. Sandy set off a snowflake above his head to alert Jack to him before setting off a series of symbols that the other Guardians almost couldn't read as the white haired boy watched them until the ceased and Jack shrugged.

"I'm fine Sandy its okay…." To that the others looked unsure.

"Jack, is something wrong?" asked Tooth.

"Yea…..I'm fine…" to that the others frowned.

"Jack….if there is something wrong let us know – we can help," stated North as the frost child looked to the side.

"I guess what Sandy is concerned about is the fact that I'm not used to being around others." At that the others stared a little confused by the statement.

"Being around others? Jack, its fine to be nervous but try and let us learn about you more and you intern learn about us. That is what friends do for one another," stated the jolly Guardian of Wonder.

"Okay….I'm not used to it but I'll try….and do my best…"

"That is spirit! Now, back to dinner!" Jack merely smiled knowing that even if he wasn't used to them he may have found something worth holding onto.

 **{11:09pm: The Lunar Palace}**

The Man in the Moon smiled sincerely as he looked at the Guardians from his telescope within his palace. It had been three centuries since he'd brought a human boy back to life and given him the power to be the Herald of Winter. Jack Frost had been one of his most remarkable creations and definitely one of his most worrisome ones. During that eighty-six year gap MIM had been anxious while watching and once Sandy had told him of the boy's duress he was made to do what he could to stop the boy from breaking down. Now, MIM was looking at the Guardians and the frost child interact and he hoped that it meant things were going to change and soon be better for the boy that he had been given no option but to keep isolated for so many years. However, he would have to agree on a specific matter of how the Guardians were interacting and learning about Jack Frost.

While taking time to know about one another was good; learning about one another whilst awaiting a move from a dangerous enemy man have not been the greatest of plans, but Sandy and North had both stressed how important it was for all of them to adapt to being around a certain winter spirit who looked more than ready to bash them over the head with his staff nine-times out of ten. And yet, they were learning a few things about his personality, how to tell when he'd had enough and when they could push the boundary. That was also coupled with him showing them a few quirks, and a few things that concerned them for the Immortal child.

"Well, I've had to do things to keep myself busy for the last three hundred years…" MIM said to himself.

"You've always done that though Tsar Lunanoff…." The Man in the Moon looked behind him to a boy dressed in a simple pair of light gray pants, a white and gold trimmed tunic, while he held his staff in one hand. The boy's skin lacked pigment, his eyes were a fair green that almost had no tint to it, his hair was also a fair white toned gold. Tsar Lunanoff smiled.

"Nightlight….how are you today?" the Guardian of Light shrugged.

"I could be better….I dislike how you've treated Jack…." To that the King of the Moon sighed.

"Yes, I am not fond of it either….Jack needed this though," he said. Nightlight shook his head.

"No, you could have given him his memories back, and you could have let him do what he was meant to do!" Tsar Lunanoff sighed at that and looked down.

"I know….I'm sorry…you haven't ever liked that choice I made Nightlight…." The boy sighed.

"Yes, your right about that…there are only four of you that are still truly children in this world…I'm sorry…" Nightlight sighed at that and glanced to the side.

"I'm not doubting your judgment Tsar Lunanoff but I want you to be wary of what you do to Jack….he may be a child _physically_ but you also need to remember that he is not a child _mentally._ He lived through those centuries and endured them…don't withhold things from him anymore….he's going to remember whether you like it or not," he said.

"I know…..and your right Nightlight, he can't be hidden again and you know it as well as I do…so we'll keep things quiet for now….if Pitch Black does the wrong thing….then keeping _him_ hidden will be impossible…." To that Nightlight looked down in a faint sadness.

"The truth might harm him more than help him…." Tsar Lunanoff nodded.

"When the time comes Sandy can help him…" to that Nightlight looked down.

"We cannot always rely on Sanderson and you know that, but all the same I hope you are right," Nightlight said as he walked away.

"As do I Nightlight….for all our sakes…." With that Tsar Lunanoff looked at the Spirit of Winter once more through his telescope.

" _Or many other trials await us."_

 **{…}**

 _You don't know me, and I'll never be what you want me to be…_

 **{….}**

Author's Note: Yes, Nightlight has appeared as has the Man in the Moon. A lot of fanfics I've read do not show them interacting and I do intend to show more characters from the novels and that will include Mother Nature, and Jack's sister if I can do that. Also I have been asked to bring in a love interest for Jack and have agreed due to the fact that I think she'll be perfect for him. If you can guess, then by all means, and I might give you a sneak peek of the hints dropped in the story.

Can you tell me who does the song lyrics that have been in the story so far?

Well, here's your preview:

Bunnymund was a surly and uncomfortable character right now, and that had to do mostly with Jack Frost. But to have found the little brat in North's library was not how he imagined confronting the boy. He wanted to talk about the winter blizzard that took out Easter over a century ago and clear the air, but it resulted in a faint argumentive fight that resulted in Bunny learning another detail about the winter spirit.

"Just what the hell frostbite!" Alice blue eyes went silver.

"What did you call me?"

Chapter 4: Interests


	4. Chapter 4: Interests

Chapter 4: Interests

 **{5:55am – Main room of the North Pole}**

"Bunny! Why up so early?" asked North as he took note that the Guardian of Hope was seated at a table near the fireplace, painting a few eggs.

"I got Easter coming up! Mate, some of us don't got time for this hanging around snowflake and gettin' are ears frozen together!" North stared momentarily before laughing.

"Bunny, only your ears are frozen together old friend…..however, I get feeling that Jack is uncomfortable…." Bunny rolled his eyes.

"He is…..Sandy was right, mate…..ankle bitter ain't gonna help us if he ain't comfortable." North sighed as he looked down.

"I worry for him, Bunny…..he does not sleep much at night…." To that Bunny sighed.

"Mate, Elemental spirits don't sleep much during the transition points." North blinked.

"Spring was March twentieth, no?" Bunny nodded.

"Yea, and in some parts of the world, Jack is still needed. I'm not surprised he isn't comfortable around us….say, mate….where is he?" North frowned.

"No idea, I go look – you continue working…." The Guardian of Wonder left and Bunnymund sighed.

"Mate, that little ankle bitter may be twice as dangerous as you think he is…"

North went to seek Jack and began to look around the workshop before sensing that an abnormal chill went through the area nearest his library. North sighed and walked into the library to find Jack settled above him in a rafter, reading a book that he couldn't make out the title of. The boy was leaning against one beam with his leg dangling off of one side while the book was propped up on the other as he was busy being completely engrossed in the story that he was reading. North took the opportunity to look the boy over. He was calm, but his eyes once more showed his age more than his face did, but that also didn't change that he was seeing Jack's other personalities - that included his unsureness and his more childish nature of trust in only those he was familiar with. Sandy trusted him to the fullest, and Jack was the same with Sandy, which showed North that they both had been through some hardships in the past that was mutual. However, North also knew that Jack was unsure what to do with them while Sandy just waited and was understanding and compassionate towards the boy. Jack needed that, and he knew that none of them were exactly good at this, and though they professed being protectors of childhood, they had severely fallen behind in the last few decades. However, Jack seemed to also have more patience than they did when it came to certain situations. North sighed as he looked at the boy again and sighed.

"Jack!" the boy jumped just a bit and looked at him.

"Oh! North? What is it?" Alice blue eyes looked to him and North smiled.

"I wondered where you've been going off to since yesterday night….I wanted to talk…" to that the boy nodded slowly and came down from the rafter.

"Is something wrong?" North shook his head as the boy came to him and looked him in the eye.

"I wanted to know…is truth that Elementals no sleep?" the boy shifted slightly.

"Actually…we don't sleep often….I'll sleep periodically in the year for a few days or weeks depending upon what is happening in the world…." North nodded.

"Okay, what do you say to sleeping here when time comes?" to that Jack rose an eyebrow.

"I….guess…" North was surprisingly okay with Jack being unsure of his request and then Jack looked at him and smiled.

"Is it wrong? To ask?" Jack looked to him and shook his head.

"No, it's perfectly fine. I appreciate you asking and being considerate of situations….just….please…keep in mind that if I don't give you an answer, it's not because I don't appreciate it…." North smiled and reached out to him.

Jack flinched, and the Guardian of Wonder looked to him in discontent as he veered away from North's touch. The older man looked him over and sighed before nodding his head as he watched the boy look down and to the side before he looked to the side and then smiled.

"No worries, just tell us if something is bothering you," North said.

"Right…."

Jack was left standing in the room alone with weight upon his shoulders. North had just reached out to him and he had done what? Turned a blind eye to him and completely diverted the attention away from him. North was doing all he could, but the others weren't able to do anything just yet. Jack sighed and looked to the side again while wondering what to do for his situation. The Spirit of Winter looked around him at the large library and the towering bookshelves while he wondered what to do now that he had unwillingly pushed North further back, despite what Sandy had already suggested he do. Jack looked at the book in his hands and sighed as he tried to reason what could be done to help him be more willing around them.

" _I've got a lot of walls to tear down before I can accept someone other than Sandy reaching out to me…..and even then…."_

"Oi! Frost!" blue eyes locked onto green.

"Yea Bunny?" the Guardian of Hope frowned.

"I gotta talk to ya…" Jack looked him over and took note of his broad gait and hostile energy and felt a small fern of ice crawl up his throat to his cheek. Bunny's eyes narrowed in on it as the boy's eyes paled into a fairer bluish-silver.

"Can you catch me, though?" Bunny's green eyes widened, and then narrowed as Jack bolted out the door over his head.

"DAMN IT, FROST!"

Bunny jerked to grab him, and failed when the boy settled over him in the air just out of the reach of the rabbit. Jack dove around towards the main hall of the workshop, and the Easter Bunny gave chase. Bunnymund had done something that Jack needed – given him an interesting distraction.

 **{Ten Minutes Later}**

Toothiana stared onward as Bunny chased the winter incarnation around the room, while Sandy stayed near her and out of the way as North walked into the room and saw two blurs dart by him. Father Christmas stared, slack-jawed, as Bunny made a grab for Jack before the boy crouched against a surface and bounded off it – cutting a flip in the process – before landing again and leaping forward, which put his face a mere few inches from Bunny's before landing in a steady motion while he balanced his body from one leg to the other and waited in a crouch anticipating the next move. Tooth eyed the boy's posture, as did North, while Sandy frowned. It had been a very long time since he'd witnessed Jack fight, and this brought back some exceedingly strong memories from a very long time ago. While impressive, Jack didn't learn these skills through basic training – he instead learned it through harsh and painful means that caused him to suffer more often than not.

However, Sandy would have to agree in what he knew Tooth and North were thinking, and that was something that another of their friends needed to realize as well – messing with Jack in specific ways triggered less than pleasant situations. Bunnymund was a surly and uncomfortable character right now though, and that had to do mostly with Jack Frost. But to have found the little brat in North's library was not how he imagined confronting the boy. He wanted to talk about the winter blizzard that took out Easter over a century ago and clear the air, but it resulted in a faint argumentive fight that resulted in Bunny learning another detail about the winter spirit. The three others watched as Bunnymund nearly grabbed the boy and was near instantly hit with a frost blast that made him let go as he made a disgruntled sound and glared at the boy.

"Just what the hell, Frostbite!" Alice blue eyes went silver.

"What did you call me?" the boy's posture shifted again, and he kept his eyes locked onto Bunny, who blanched.

"I said Frostbite! What? You gotta problem with that?" Jack narrowed his eyes – the fern-like trail of ice appearing to sprawl up his cheek again – before the boy snarled faintly and displayed his teeth to him.

"Depends on what you mean by it…..kangaroo…" at that, Bunnymund nearly howled.

"I AM A BUNNY, DAMN YOU! AND YOUR STUPID JOKES, YOU IGNORANT BRAT!" Jack reared back on his heels as he heard that, and kept a sharp glare upon his face as the Guardian of Hope made a few steps towards him. At the sight of the boy's pupils slitting, Sandy tugged the side of North's pants leg.

"Jack, walk with me…" to that Bunny stopped, and Jack relaxed but remained on guard as he followed North to the elevator.

"Bunny, why were you chasing Jack?" asked Tooth. Bunny looked after the boy.

"He's got something wrong with him….." Sandy felt tension form in his body.

"What do you mean?" she inquired this, and Bunny narrowed his eyes.

"There's….something unnaturally dark about him…..and much more…. _lethal than Pitch_." Sandy could only hope that Bunny hadn't caught on to the details yet.

 **{Within North's Workshop}**

"Jack, do you not like us? Or is it something else?" North asked.

"It's nothing personal, North. What you all do, it's just, it's not my thing." Jack was glad the conversation was off his fight with Bunny for the time being.

"Man in Moon says it is your thing. We will see!" he stated as they entered the workshop factory floors.

A Yeti handed North a clipboard and pen which he signed and then handed the board back while throwing the pen before walking along as Jack stared, awestruck, at the place around him. Toys and objects were being constructed and flew overhead, elves pushed carts and worked away, while Yeti's painted or checked their products.

"Slow down, wouldja? I've been trying to bust in here for years, I want a good look." Slightly peeved, North continued to rush through and looked at the winter child.

"What do you mean, _bust in_?" his guard went slightly up, but then he saw the jovial smirk on the boy's face.

"Oh, don't worry, I never got past the yetis," he said as he looked over his shoulder; an angry yeti pounded his fist into his palm upon meeting his eyes. Previous that same Yeti had been giving him wide eyes and a pointed finger following him.

"Rwwarrrrrr!" at that, Jack smiled broadly.

"Oh, hey, Phil!" North rolled his eyes.

"Keep up, Jack! Keep up!" North charged ahead, while Jack merely smirked again and took it all in as fast as he could.

North's factory was bustling with activity: Yeti's were building toys, moving packages, while Elves were test piloting the various flying toys – which he wondered if that was a wise choice on North's part or not – as Jack walked behind North, surveying the factory, a duck toy suddenly decided to fly over Jack's head, causing him to duck just in time and continue after North. However, as soon as they rounded a corner, Jack was met with the sight of several Elves hooking themselves up with Christmas lights and fiddling with rotating toys. He momentarily stared onward at the scene before seeing a spark.

"Whoa….wait…I thought the Elves made the toys?" Jack questioned.

"We just let them believe that…" North whispered this to him, before Jack looked back at the small number of Elves to see a group of them eating Christmas ornaments and another electrocuting himself with Christmas lights. Jack felt himself slightly pity them, before a devilish smirk crossed his features while North smiled and called to them.

"Very nice! Keep up good work!" North continued through the factory floor, and while they did Jack took note of North passing a Yeti putting the finishing touches on a blue toy robot.

"I don't like it! Paint it red!" the yeti looked and made a sound very similar to a frustrated word.

"What da….." it groaned and slammed its head upon a table, reminding Jack greatly of college students when they finished a project and realized they'd done it wrong or forgotten parts of it. The yeti was sitting next to a spot where hundreds of finished robots were already shelved, making Jack wince.

"Step it up, everybody! We have ten months and sixteen days till Christmas!" Jack once more winced at that.

" _He's a little bit of a slave driver….but….I guess with how much relies on his holiday, it makes sense…."_

As they made it to the top half of the working area, Jack was able to glance down upon the orchestrated chaos of the entire place. From where he was, he saw all the magic and splendor that was remarkably captivating, even to someone who had magic themselves. Jack turned and followed North into his office, where he was struck with an interesting sight of his center of creation. There were shelves filled with toys, sketches, and prototypes everywhere, made from both wood and from ice that Jack could tell was from the inner area of a glacier so it would take longer to melt. North dusted his hands off and turned to him, which allowed him to see a difference in his appearance. His sleeves were rolled up and Jack noticed that on one of North's forearms, the word _naughty_ was tattooed, and on the other, _nice_. North glanced to the side where an Elf appeared and grabbed a plate from it. Jack was beginning to wonder where these little critters were coming from with how easily they appeared. He took a deep breath as he looked around as North presented what the Elf had been carrying.

"Fruitcake?" to that, Jack felt his skin crawl – it was one of the worst inventions that humans could conjure – and he had no desire to eat it.

"Ah, no, thanks…" North shrugged and tossed the fruitcake – several elves appearing from nowhere to devour it – Jack momentarily blinked as he looked up to North, and noticed the man was walking closer.

"Now we get down to tacks of brass!" to that, Jack felt an unnatural chill settle into his bones.

"Tacks of brass?" Jack muttered to himself as North cracked his knuckles. Jack stood silent in momentary discomfort as the wind suddenly slammed North's office door behind them. Jack decided that the wind was a traitor at that moment, and frowned before taking note that the door locked itself as well. As he glared at the door his attention was brought back to the shadow suddenly appearing over him, and he turned back. North moved in close to him, backing him up against the door. In that moment, Jack felt like a trapped animal, and had half a mind to lash out, but was doing his best not to.

"Who are you, Jack Frost? What is your center?" North poked him in the chest, and Jack narrowed his eyes as he bared his teeth a little.

"My center?" he asked this in hopes that North hadn't uncovered something that he knew would be nothing short of horrific if he did.

"If Man in Moon chose you to be a Guardian, you must have something _very special inside_." Jack felt himself flinch at that, knowing North was partly right, but was worried it would be nothing good. North stood up straight and began to stroke his beard as he gave Jack a curious look.

"Hmmmm?" North glanced towards a shelf where a Matroyshka was settled, and smiled in an idea as he eyed the one that looked like himself.

"Here. This is how you see me, no? Very big, intimidating. But if you get to know me a little…." He handed a doll to Jack. "Well, go on."

Jack gave North a curious look, and then, slowly, while keeping his eyes on the man, set down his staff. While tense on the fact that he may still be put in an uncomfortable situation, once more he twisted the doll in half and looked inside to find another carved one of North. This one was much more typically of the appearance of Santa Claus – red-cheeked and cheery.

"You are downright jolly?" he asked cautiously.

"Ah, but not just jolly…" Jack screwed open the doll again and looked at another one. The dolls got progressively smaller as he twisted them open, all versions of North, but all slightly different.

"I am also mysterious…." Jack twisted again to show another doll brandishing two swords.

"And fearless…." Again, and he saw a doll holding woodland creatures with teary eyes.

"And caring….and at my center…."

Jack unscrewed the final doll to find an infant wrapped in red cloth with large blue eyes. He frowned and felt a faint head rush coming on as he rubbed the front of his head, and brushed his bangs out of his face while staring at it in complete and utter confusion. North drew closer and Jack frowned again as he dropped the doll into his hand.

"There's a tiny wooden baby?" North placed it back into his hand, and Jack glanced up at him, showing North the vibrant silver of his eyes.

"Look closer. What do you see?" he asked as Jack held it closer to examine it.

"You… have big eyes?" to that, North smiled.

"Yes! Big eyes! Very big! Because they are full! Of wonder! That is my center. It is what I was born with. Eyes that have always seen the wonder in everything!" North raised his hands, and Jack stared onward as the toys amongst the shelves suddenly sang with life.

Jack-in-the boxes popped open, toy trains sped around the room, soldiers marched, planes flew overhead, and an elf was carried away by a balloon. A flying plane glided by and made circles about the room, letting Jack take it all in as it flew by a tree that came to life with glowing fairy lights and twinkled with freshly fallen snow. A small gust of wind opened the double doors and a flying car entered the factory floor as North walked onward and Jack followed slowly.

"Yes! Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air!" the man stood outside of his office as toys flew around the massive chamber and brought forth wonder and awe as Jack realized this was, indeed, what North had meant and his sense of wonder was truthfully magical in all of the same ways that his snow was.

"This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children. It is what makes me a Guardian. It is my center. What is yours?" North watched as Jack settled relaxed before him. Slowly but surely the boy's timber wolf silver eyes looked up into his and he watched as the boy looked down unsure of what to think of the entire situation.

"I don't know." And as he looked down, his silver eyes went into the normal Alice blue. Jack looked down into his open palm, and the wooden baby stared back at him. North closed Jack's hand. They exchange a look as North smiled, reassuring the boy of the fact that he was on the right path.

 **{Main Room of the North Pole: 3:05pm}**

"Bunny, I just don't quite get what your whole meaning is when you say that there's something wrong about Jack!" Tooth said. Sandy watched, perplexed.

"I'm tellin' ya! He is not what you think!" to that, North walked into the room and their eyes settled on him and his discomfort.

"Bunny? What is matter?" he questioned.

"North….has somethin' been up with frostbite?" the Guardian of Wonder sighed.

"Good question…I iz wondering something da…..Sandy….you hav known Jack for long time no? Iz his eyes alvays like zat?" Sandy put a set of symbols above his head.

" _Care to elaborate upon that, North?"_

"Vhell…da….his eyes….are de blue or silver?" in that second, Sandy looked alarmed and set off a series of symbols.

" _His eyes will do that with emotion influxes….depends on how he feels at the time being….he could be very angry or very hurt….depends…"_ they nodded and then North frowned.

"I just get feeling…..zat something is….off…." North's accent was thicker than normal, meaning his concern was great.

"I was just tellin' Tooth and Sandy dat before ya came. Frost has somethin' offsettin' about im', sumthan dark mate…." North glowered.

"But not Pitch?" Bunny shook his head.

"Na, it's older ah colder mate…." Tooth grimaced.

"Older and colder? That doesn't make sense, Bunny!" North frowned as he stroked his beard.

"Not exactly! Jack is powerful no Sandy?" the golden man nodded.

" _Yes he is…"_

"What if he is….how do you say…..very unable to use power due to no memory of some years?" Tooth eyed him.

"Are suggesting I see if I can access his _Immortal memories,_ North?" she questioned.

"Possibly…..we hold off…question, though…what is dark feeling from Jack?" Sandy lowered a bit and set off more symbols while they all waited what they would say.

" _No, I cannot answer that I'm afraid….Jack can only be the one to answer that question when he is ready to. For now….we will only be able to trust him. I swear it."_

"How can ya be so sure, mate? What if…." Sandy shook his head.

" _Jack may have a ruthless touch to him….but he would never think of betraying his friends. That is something that is most certainly not part of whom he is."_

"Alright Sandy….we will trust you.." Sandy smiled.

" _Good."_ Sandy could only hope that those words rang true for Jack as well, because in the coming days he would need that, and so would all of them.

 **{Beneath the Earth in Burgess: 10:09pm}**

Pitch felt an unnatural spike in the air as he looked around his chamber in questioning of why it was so unseasonably cold in the early-middle of spring. He frowned as he felt an irritating bite creep into his chamber, along with an ancient darkness that made his nerve endings tingle and his flesh crawl. An eerie smile crept across his face as he looked over the giant pit before his throne and saw hundreds of gold gleaming eyes appear from the shadows, and all he could do was continue to smirk demonically at the scene. The Guardians would never see any of this coming, and he would be excited to watch them crumble to their knees in subjugation to him. However, the uncommonly dark chill was steadily creeping up his legs and clawing at his heart which startled him somewhat.

"What is this? I haven't felt this since….no….. _impossible!_ " Pitch Black, King of Fear, former general of the Lunanoff's Golden Age, had not felt this type of cold and unrelenting terror since the mid-late eighteen hundreds. The sensation was not what had him ever-so-slightly spooked, was what followed that sensation.

"Surely that monster hasn't begun to stir again has it? That vile _Hunter cannot live!_ Not after all I and those of the shadows have pushed forward! No! He hasn't reared his head in over a century! Damn it all!"

Pitch knew that the sensation of ancient, creeping, terrifying cold, was not of a dark origin like himself, but fairly close. It was a Hunter, a destructive creation unleashed by the Man in the Moon nearly four centuries ago. Pitch Black, as well as a few others, had been in a confrontation with it, and a few others several years ago, from the year eighteen hundred to eighteen eighty-six, which should have harmed those of the light, but because of the Hunter, because of the Man in the Moon's precious bloodthirsty, heartless, sadistic Hunter, they had failed. Since that final battle, the Hunter hadn't reared its head, but given time, Pitch knew that wouldn't last, as nothing never truthfully did. However, he also knew a key detail that the Hunter was no friend to dark or light creatures nor spirits, and if it saw fit, it would kill without mercy – regardless of the distinctions.

Nonetheless, Pitch could not count upon the Hunter to be on his side this time, as it was typically a neutral party, and unwilling to battle with either party unless interested or given reason to. The Hunter relied upon a connection with someone or something in a group in order to side with them, and without a plausible connection Pitch and whomever else would have none of even a slim chance to convince the Hunter – whom would more than likely be on the side of the Guardians. Pitch sighed as he looked at the glowing lights upon his Globe of Belief and frowned – soon those lights would be gone, and he could do as he so well pleased – but until then, he had to find a means to defeat the Guardians, and if possible, confront the Hunter, if it was on their side or not.

"I'll deal with the Hunter if it is indeed upon their side, and if it is not, then I suppose I should be grateful….the last thing I need at this point is the Hunter deciding I'd make a nice wall pelt." None the less, Pitch did wonder why now, of all times, did the Hunter chose to rear its head.

 **{North Pole: 1:30am}**

The night had been rather peaceful and quiet, which Jack had been grateful for, seeing as he was surprisingly tired tonight, but as the evening wore on, and he was resting in his bed serenely and undisturbed by the other Guardians - whom he hoped were also asleep – the more a sense of discomfort came to him. Now, three hours since that had begun, he was lying, curled into a ball in his bed, with his head throbbing in an excruciating pain that had spread throughout his entire body. It had started as a light headache, and then increased tenfold by midnight, and at this point Jack could not decide if lying flat and still would be better than curling up and cradling himself or not. He let out a pained gasp and bit into his lip as a shock of pain rippled from his chest outwards like a radiation of energy. His body trembled as he struggled to straighten himself as his arms shook and then gave way to him lying on his side with one arm curled to his chest and the other stretched out as he took in deep panting breaths of exhaustion.

" _What's happening? Why am I hurting so bad I…._ " a sharp jolt came from his chest and ran from the tips of his toes to the tips of his hair. It felt as if someone was squeezing the life out of his heart slowly, and enjoying the torture. His breath came into his lungs in a swift rush and left him as a pain so sharp, it felt like a blow forced the breath he'd just taken in painfully from his lungs.

"Sandy….help…." his form leaned forward in a vain attempt at getting up and to Sandy, which resulted in him collapsing to the floor in a ragged breathed heap as the thump alerted Sandy, who was lightly sleeping.

The little golden man heard the sound and noticed that it had come from Jack's room. In concern, he'd rushed out of his room and glided quietly to the boy's before opening the door to find the boy shaking and in pain as he shut the door and came to Jack who looked up at him, weakly. The boy's eyes were a dead-toned timber-wolf silver that left Sandy speechless as he carefully picked Jack up and laid on the bed on his back with a pillow under his head as Sandy checked the boy's pulse. Jack felt unnaturally cold – even for him – and his pulse was faint, which left Sandy with a single conclusion that concerned him even more than the boy's condition. He glanced up at the moon that was showing through the window and narrowed his eyes.

" _You better do something, Tsar!"_

" _ **I cannot stop what has already begun…Sanderson, I am sorry…."**_ Sandy narrowed his eyes and tisked before looking at Jack, who was slowly easing off to sleep.

" _At least put him out of pain for now so he can rest! He needs this, Tsar! Please!"_ amomentary lapse in silence covered him, and then the Man in the Moon finally responded.

" _ **I can do that much….but the reality of this world cannot be changed for a single child….I am sorry, Sanderson….but fear not…no death will claim the Spirit of Winter.…as I am sure you are aware…"**_

" _All too aware….you did not have to do this!"_ Sandy glared and the moon seemed to frown.

" _ **I hadn't the choice….the truth of this has been preordained and cannot be altered. Dear friend, do as you have done in the past and allow him to survive….keep him in one piece, or at least….make it to where he can fix himself this time."**_

" _I will!"_ Sandy felt the Man in the Moon disappear, and his attention fell to Jack whose eyes were still faintly lifeless for the time being, but as he watched, his sight slowly but surely revived and relief flooded him.

"Sandy….can you….ahhh..." he gritted his teeth at the sensation of pain that came like a pulse from his chest and spread out. Sandy shushed him and settled upon the bed and began to card his fingers through the boy's snowy hair that glinted silver in the moonlight. He smiled as he looked at the boy – he was slowly but surely falling asleep.

" _Rest, Jack, all will be well by morning…."_ The message seemed to get to the boy, and slowly but surely the boy fell asleep. However, Sandy's thoughts were not eased.

" _I can only hope that I am right….because if not….trust may not be our only issue…"_

Sandy remained in the room with Jack until much later into the night, in hopes of keeping the boy calm and allowed him a peaceful slumber. Jack actually appeared to be resting soundly as he checked up on him periodically, and found himself easing slightly while considering what would come in the near future. Jack needed people to trust him, and the Guardians needed to trust the boy as well. Conversely, Sandy knew that the others were being kept out of secrets that might have been better off not being revived, and the little golden man knew that, but it didn't stop what was happening – nor what would happen. Jack would face many things in the near future, and it wouldn't change in the years to come, but he could hope that something would give a little bit soon, or Jack would be left without anyone to hold him together when the time came.

" _Please, let him have someone to hold onto…..there may come a time when I can't be that person, so just….let him find solace in the others as well..."_

 **{….}**

 _And what do you think you'd understand? I'm boy, no, I'm a man, you can't take me - and throw me away…._

 **{…}**

Author's Note:

Okay, first off, thank you for my reviewers you all are amazing! Help me reach high reviews okay?

Secondly, this story will have around 50 or so chapters so it will take time.

Third, I will not update until chapters 5-7 are completed, and after that I will have to not update until December 12th which is after final exams.

Oh, and to clear the air on the love interests: it is not Tooth or Wind. But the love interest for Jack is a female. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to your reviews. I'll try to update soon and also fill in the request of Jack being a little lighter hearted and comical. No worries, I was just setting up the basis for the plot line.

Here's your Preview:

The night air unnerved him to some extent and he found himself pouring over an old book of legends and lore from their world and just so slightly resulted in him stumbling across something that left one E. Aster Bunnymund questioning what the reason was for him finding this on the night that Sandy was browsing as well in the library. The Easter Bunny had uncovered a very ancient and very frightening story that chilled his bones more than Jack Frost ever could.

"De Skördeman av Måne….what is that?"

Bunnymund had uncovered a legend that Tsar Lunanoff had tried so hard to keep quiet. But not even the powers of the moon could stop the whispers of immortals.

Chapter 5: Winter


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